Brave New World
by Sunal
Summary: AU Voldemort's attack on the Potters leaves James and Lily dead, and young Harry missing. Meanwhile Senna and Tonraq discover a child in the unlikeliest of places and decide to take him in to be Korra's little brother. Raised by benders, plagued by questions, he will embark on an epic journey for answers and nothing will ever be the same. No pairings yet.
1. Chapter 1: Parental Love

This is an idea that I have been entertaining for quite some time. I know that stories with a similar premise have been written so I will try to keep this as original as I can. No plagiarism intended. I do not own either Legend of Korra or Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino own Legend of Korra.

-Line Break-

Tears in her eyes, the red-haired woman swiftly, anxiously, drew the circles, checking her notes to make sure they were perfect in shape and proportion, down to the smallest, most intricate character. The circle completed, the woman took a silver knife and cut herself, a small stream of blood flowing from her palm. With careful, graceful ease, she dropped the blood along the circle, chanting a spell in Old Norse and Gaelic, the language of her ancestors. Once the spell was finished, the circles began glowing a dull red, showing they were active and ready for their intended use.

Her work done, Lily Potter nee Evans walked over to the crib where her young son, Harry, looked up with bright green eyes, so very much like her own, curiosity and childish innocence staring back at her. The knowledge of what was about to happen brought new tears to her eyes as she looked back and wondered how it all came to this.

She saw that it all began with him: Voldemort, or any of the aliases that people used out of fear. Like Lily and her husband, he was supremely intelligent and gifted with magic. However, underneath lie a heart consumed with a lust for power. Using fear, charisma, and the predominant ideology of Britain, Voldemort began a campaign of terror across the island nation, leaving many dead or worse in his wake. To stop him, two forces rose to the challenge: the Order of the Phoenix, led by their old school teacher Albus Dumbledore, and the Ministry of Magic. Diligently the two forces fought back, setting Voldemort's plans back by years, but even so they took heavy losses, and the war bogged down to a stalemate.

Desperate for an edge, Lily and James threw themselves into research with a zeal to rival Bellatrix Lestrange's, research which would now prove instrumental to Harry's survival as Voldemort himself was fast approaching. Voldemort, perhaps out of bitter rage at their impertinent resistance and constant defeats at their hands, had taken a personal interest in wiping out their family. Having been warned of this, Lily and James went into hiding, using the Fidelius charm, with Sirius Black as the Secret-Keeper...or so everyone was led to believe. In actuality, on Black's insistence, they had secretly switched to Peter Pettigrew, believing that he would be below suspicion of holding such vital information. Unfortunately for them, Peter Pettigrew was a spy, working for Voldemort, and had sold out their location to his maniacal master.

Upon hearing that Voldemort was coming, and had crossed onto their property, James yelled "He's here! He's coming! Make the circles! I'll try to hold him off!" and he ran for his wand. Lily nodded grimly, and set about making the circles, shouts and explosions from the living room ringing in her ears.

Below, James fought bravely, sending curses racing towards Voldemort, but all just bounced away off a shield Voldemort casually, silently cast. Seeing this, James paused, giving Voldemort the chance to attack, but James ducked behind a couch, Quidditch reflexes saving his life. Seeing that head-on attacks were useless, James banished the couch toward Voldemort, who tried but failed to stop its momentum, and was flown back. Using the distraction, James transfigured the couch into a pack of dire wolves, larger and stronger than regular wolves, and directed them to attack. Clamping their jaws down on Voldemort's arms and legs, they drew blood and cracked bones in his left arm. Roaring in rage and pain, Voldemort breathed fire, causing one to let go, allowing Voldemort to cast "Avada Kedavra!", killing it instantly. Seeing their comrade die, the other wolves hesitated, and Voldemort transfigured them into a single large snake. " _Kill him!_ " Voldemort hissed in Parseltongue, directing the snake against James.

The snake struck, but missed as James dodged at the last moment. Transfiguring a plate from the living room table into a knife, he struck the snake, puncturing its lung and causing immense pain. With that James transfigured it into a flock of birds that flew off into the door, temporarily blinding Voldemort. Seeing him distracted, James sent a stunner but missed. Voldemort retaliated with the Killing Curse, but James dodged yet again, ducking behind a chair. Voldemort anticipated that and transfigured the table into another snake, a viper, that reared its head and bit hard on James' shoulder, venom pumping into him. James, screamed in pain as Voldemort cackled in glee, seeing his enemy in agony. With the laughter, James' mind cleared enough and he stabbed the viper with the knife from the first snake, piercing its brain, and skewering himself in the shoulder. Working fast, James transfigured the snake and knife into a sword, a Roman gladius, and began attacking Voldemort. Voldemort sidestepped but James swung again, piercing Voldemort's stomach, but missed the vital organs and vessels. Voldemort staggered back and James swung again, cutting Voldemort's right arm.

Although James inflicted considerable damage, the viper's venom began to take its toll, causing his arms to burn in pain and his hands to swell, and blood began flowing incessantly from his wounds. As his vision began to blur, James stumbled and fell to his knees. Basking in his enemy's vulnerability, Voldemort healed his broken bones and he walked over to James.

"You've fought well James" he said, false praise and condescension abundant in his voice. "You could have been one of my lieutenants, no, my generals. We could have transformed the world into a paradise, beautiful, eternal, pure.". His eyes turned cold and hard. "But alas you chose Dumbledore's side, the weak side. Any last words?" he asked as he raised his wand.

James looked up and yelled "Merlin curse you!" and with desperate fury lunged at Voldemort, tackling him and throwing him to the floor. James on top, he pummeled the Dark Lord, breaking skin and blackening an eye, but his strength seeped away until Voldemort pushed him off.

Looking at his enemy, Voldemort yelled "Crucio!" and James writhed on the floor in agony, screaming to high Heaven. After about a minute of this, Voldemort yelled "Avada Kedrava!" and with a flash of green, James collapsed dead, bleeding and broken.

But though James lost the fight, his death was not in vain, for Lily had just finished the circles and went back to the crib. Blood dripping from her hand and tears from her eyes, she lifted her son, wrapping him up in a blanket charmed to provide the optimum temperature regardless of the external environment. Kissing him on the forehead, Lily placed an amulet, showing a bifurcated triangle containing a circle.

"Our final and greatest treasure only for you." she said, though Harry made no indication that he understood. "I love you Harry. Never doubt that" she continued, new tears streaming down her cheeks. Harry, sensing his mother's distress, began fussing, to which Lily responded with a little lullaby, lulling him to sleep. Her son asleep, Lily knelt down near the circle and activated it. White and red light began pulsing around the child, then arcing toward the ceiling, blinding the room in a whirlpool of colors. Then, just as James' agonizing screams died down, the colors dissipated, leaving Lily alone, tear-stained but strangely smiling.

Down below, Voldemort cleaned himself off, healed his remaining wounds, as far as the Light-natured magic would allow him to, and walked up the stairs, determined to end the Potter family once and for all. His quest for their extinction was not just his humiliation from their constant resistance and successes at thwarting his schemes. In May the previous year, his faithful servant Severus Snape had returned bearing news of a prophecy, foretelling of a child that would be his downfall. Infuriated that a mere child would have such a power, Voldemort sought to terminate this child and thus secure himself for all time. After reviewing the prophecy, he concluded that it referred to Harry Potter; who else but the spawn of his most frustrating enemies would have the power to stop him. Upon reaching this conclusion, Severus made a most curious request: spare Lily's life. Voldemort was taken aback at said request, but he acquiesced out of gratitude for Severus' long and dutiful service.

As he climbed the stairs, Voldemort smirked, knowing there was no chance for the brat to escape. His servant, Peter Pettigrew, not only sold him the location of the Potters, but also the layout of the house and had installed anti-Apparition and Portkey suppression wards all around the house. In one of his more brilliant ideas, the rat set them up so they would only activate upon Voldemort's arrival, giving the occupants no chance of escaping by magic. His servants in the Ministry also "accidentally" disabled the Floo network, cutting off that escape route as well. With this preparation, Voldemort knew the brat could not run, and being barely a toddler, he very well could not fight back. 'Yes!' he thought. 'THIS is my final triumph!' as he made his way upstairs and to the nursery.

Blasting the door down, he saw Lily kneeling in front of the crib where her son lay. 'Pity, such a waste of talent and beauty.' he thought as Lily picked herself up and drew her wand. Silently, casually Voldemort disarmed her, Lily's wand clattering in the corner.

"Move aside and you'll live." he commanded, pointing his wand at her throat.

"No" she responded, her jaw quivering yet her voice steady.

"Move aside NOW!" he repeated, more forcefully this time.

"No!" she replied.

Exasperated, Voldemort swished his wand and levitated her off the floor, and with a flick, sent her flying to the side. That task completed, he went to the crib, looked inside...

…and saw nothing. No child. No blanket. Just the pillow and the mattress. Clearly it was inhabited but where was the child?! Furious at the impossible scene he just found, he turned to Lily and roared "Where is he?!".

Picking herself up, she replied "Beyond your reach!".

"Legilimens!" he yelled, seeking to find her son's location in her mind, only to run into some of the strongest Occlumency shields he had ever encountered, so strong he staggered back from the encounter. Drawing himself to his fullest height, eyes flashing in rage and wounded pride, he yelled "Where! Is! Your! Son!". When Lily refused to talk, he raised his wand and yelled "Crucio!" and Lily collapsed to the floor, shrieking and writhing in agony. Lifting the spell, he roared "Tell me! Tell ME!".

Lily, still reeling from the pain, crawled toward the nursery door, prompting Voldemort to sidestep her and with the Leg-Locker curse, robbed her of her mobility. Even so, Lily refused to quit, and Voldemort cast 'Levicorpus', suspending Lily upside-down and cutting off all chance of escape. Holding her up, Voldemort yelled "WHERE! IS! YOUR! SON?!".

Lily looked and, seeing Voldemort standing on the circle, smiled, infuriating him even further, and said "Once more unto the breach dear friends.".

One second later, the nursery filled up with a blinding white light. Amidst screams and flashes of light, a massive shockwave burst forth, shattering the nursery window and collapsing the roof above it.

-Line Break-

An hour or so later, Sirius Black flew to the Potter house, anxious with worry, having heard disturbing news from Dumbledore. 'Please be all right' he begged as he made his way into the house through the open door. Upon entry, he stiffened and paled as he saw James' broken, bloodied body on the floor. With desperate haste, he ran up the stairs, hoping, praying against all odds that the worst had not happened.

Upon his ascent, he saw the nursery door blasted open and with great trepidation, he entered and saw what could only be described as a war zone. There was a blackened circle on the floor, the floorboards smoking from intense heat, the nearby crib singed. Looking around, he saw the windows blown out from the inside, the furniture thrown to the far side, and then he saw her...Lily, dead and broken like a rag doll against the near wall, eyes open but seeing nothing, blood and cerebral fluid flowing down.

Seeing her, Sirius began frantically looking for Harry, scrutinizing the room with a terrier's intensity. After a frantic five minutes, he realized that the boy was nowhere in the nursery. Grasping at straws, he cast "Infans revelare" but the wand failed to indicate a direction or even a lifesign. His last hope dashed, Sirius threw his head back and bawled out to the sky like a dog.

So caught up in his grief, he failed to notice the heavy footsteps approaching him from the stairs. Even when a large hand landed on his back, Sirius failed to was not until a booming voice called out "Sirius what's wrong? What happened here?".

Sirius looked up, his eyes stained with tears, as he saw Rubeus Hagrid, the gentle giant groundskeeper from Hogwarts. "They're...gone." he choked out.

"Yeh don' mean..." Hagrid stuttered, disbelieving his ears. Sirius only nodded fractionally, and Hagrid cried out, clutching Sirius tight in a back-breaking hug...literally.

"Hagrid...I can't...breathe!" he sputtered as his face began losing color. Hagrid, seeing this, dropped the poor man to the floor, Sirius landing right on his tailbone.

"Hagrid, where is Dumbledore?" Sirius asked as he picked himself up.

"He'll be here soon." Hagrid answered. "I was sent early 'cause he was so busy fightin' the Death Eaters. Remember?"

Sirius nodded as he remembered the reason the Order and the Ministry were absent from this fight: the Death Eaters had hit Diagon Alley, forcing them to fight there. Looking back he realized it was a distraction so Voldemort could attack the Potters.

Evidently, it worked all too well.

Furious, Sirius picked himself up and said "Hagrid, I gotta check on something. You watch things here." and he descended the stairs.

-Line Break-

Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore, realizing the attack on the Alley was a diversion, and having sent Hagrid and Black after the Potters, went to the Longbottom's residence with Remus Lupin. What he found horrified him: Alice and Frank lying in a pool of saliva, their eyes dull, blank, staring off into oblivion, their minds vacuous but their hearts still beating. Making his way to the nursery where Neville lay, he found the poor boy in his cot with a small, crooked V-shaped scar across his forehead. He returned and reported the boy's condition to the while Remus said "The Longbottoms are alive but totally unresponsive. Hopefully the Healers can help." Nodding, Dumbledore pulled out a small mirror and said "Hagrid". The mirror's surface rippled, then darkened, then lightened again, showing the face of the distraught groundskeeper.

"Rubeus, what's happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"They're...gone," Hagrid blubbered, fat tears streaming down his face, "and Sirius went out a bit ago. No idea where."

Shocked, Dumbledore repeated the message to Remus. The werewolf seemed to age ten or fifteen years in that one moment and he collapsed from despair. "No time to lose." Dumbledore said. "We must find Sirius," and that seemed to energize Remus out of his stupor.

'Black, you'll pay!' he fumed as he left for the Potter house, Dumbledore remaining behind to make more calls.

Apparating back to the battlefield, Remus gave a quick report on the Longbottoms. "Alive but in need of help. Get more Aurors. We're going after Black." Only a moment later, he received news of a massive magical explosion, and Apparated with the Auror team to find a massive crater in the street, so deep he could smell sewage seeping out, making him gag. The houses nearby had their windows broken and some had even caught fire. In the center of the crater was a single human finger, and along the periphery sat Sirius Black, laughing maniacally. Appalled by Black's breakdown, Remus watched as the Aurors shackled him and took him off to Azkaban. Only then did Remus break down and cry, howling like a wolf that had lost its pack.

Back at the Longbottoms, Dumbledore tried to piece together what had happened that night. Given what he knew of the prophecy pertaining to Voldemort, he could only conclude that the maniac attacked the Longbottoms, defeated Alice and Frank, apparently causing mental damage in the process, and then tried to kill Neville. But something stopped him. Somehow the boy survived with only a scar as evidence of their showdown. With this scenario in mind, he concluded that the Longbottoms' sacrifice, their determination not to give in, imbued their son with the protection of love, an ancient power Voldemort had no comprehension of, given its abhorrence to a being of his nature. As for the Potters, he figured that they were overwhelmed by a team of Death Eaters and destroyed in the explosion. With a heavy heart, he watched over Neville and waited for the Healers and Augusta Longbottom to arrive.

-Line Break-

Senna and Tonraq walked out from a successful meeting with the Southern Water chief and were heading back home to where Korra was sleeping under the watchful eye of her aunt, Senna's sister, Halla. Suddenly, the Spirit Lights, a beautiful, display of vibrant color, danced before them for the first time since the Hundred Years War. Stopping in their tracks, bewildered by the sudden reappearance, a faint sound, like a baby crying, drifted toward them. Alarmed, they looked to their hut, but the sound was coming from the direction away from the village. Waterbending the snow, they skated in the direction of the sound. As it got louder, they slowed and found a toddler, wrapped in a small blanket in the snow.

Bewildered, Senna swiftly picked the toddler up and began rocking back and forth, calming the child almost instantly. Gently, Senna wrapped the toddler in her fur coat, making sure no part of the child was left exposed. "Someone left a child here Tonraq" she said, bewildering and infuriating her husband.

Quickly, Tonraq looked over the snow but to his surprise found no tracks, no disturbance, no indication that anyone had gone through here. It had seemed like the child was dropped from the sky. Their confusion was quickly replaced by worry as they looked over the toddler and raced back home.

Upon entering their hut, Halla looked up. "Welcome-" she began but cut herself off when she saw Senna clutching a toddler in her shawl. "Who do you have there?" she asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

"I don't know." Senna said as she laid the toddler out on the table. "We found him in the snow, like someone left him there, but there were no tracks leading to or from him." she explained as she undressed him, looking over his general health. The mystery deepened as she saw no signs of advanced hypothermia or malnutrition, like he had been left mere moments before they found him, but how could someone abandon a child and move so fast so as not to be caught without leaving a trail.

"Well all else considered, he's pretty healthy" she said as she dressed him up in warmer clothes. "But what do we do with him?" she asked.

"Let's keep him here for now." Tonraq said. "Then we can go to the chief and discuss it."

"That's sounds like a good idea." Halla agreed. "It's late and we could all use some rest." and she set up a makeshift bed in the hut.

Nodding, Senna and Tonraq took the toddler and placed him between them on their bed, alongside their daughter Korra. Senna, humming a lullaby, soon drifted off to sleep along with their newest arrival.

-Line Break-

The next morning, Senna woke up and found Korra and a second toddler under the blankets. 'So it wasn't just a dream.' she thought as she pulled up and looked them over. Seeing them still asleep, she went into the kitchen and made some breakfast, stewed sea prunes with tea and seaweed noodles. A few minutes later she heard fussing, and went back to the bedroom to find Tonraq changing one of the children, Korra it seemed like. With practiced ease, she turned to the boy and began to change him too, allowing her to get a good look at their newest addition. He had jet-black hair and fair skin, like Fire Nation nobility, but his eyes were what really caught her: bright green, like the Foggy Swamp tribe. Those bright green eyes looked back, watching her with intent curiosity. Looking further, she noticed a small pendant with a strange mark upon it: an equilateral triangle, with a circle contained within it, and a vertical line bifurcating both. 'Is this a memento from his parents?' she wondered as she continued her task. 'Have to show this to Tonraq when I get the chance.'

After changing him, Senna handed him to Tonraq while she ran to check on breakfast. Thankfully, nothing was burned and everything came out perfectly. After laying out breakfast, she brought the two children and began to feed them, listening as Tonraq and Halla, seated for breakfast talked over the plan for the day.

"I'll head over to the chief soon after breakfast." Tonraq said.

"Do you think it might be necessary to bring the boy with us?" Senna asked.

"No it should be all right." Tonraq responded. "All we need to do is give him a brief description and an explanation of what happened last night."

"If it's alright with you then, I'd like to stay and look after them." Senna said. "Korra can be a little rowdy and I want to be here in case things get too rough."

"Sounds like a good idea." Tonraq said as he got up and picked up his coat and boots. "I'll see you later then." and he left the hut. As he made his way to the complex, he thought about the options. 'Most likely, he'll try to find the boy's parents.' he thought as he passed by the early vendors. 'Failing that, he'll probably allow us to adopt him. Hopefully, we can blood-adopt him.' he mused, nearing the complex. Entering the complex, he greeted the chief with a friendly bow. "Good morning sir." he said.

"Good morning, Tonraq." the chief, Vallik, responded. "How are Senna and Korra?" he asked.

"They are well. How is Ka'qi?" Tonraq replied.

"She is well, considering she's six months along." Vallik answered, sighing with exasperation.

"Speaking of children, Senna and I have another." Tonraq said, catching Vallik off-guard momentarily.

"How...how...?" he stuttered.

"We found him last night, apparently abandoned in the snow." Tonraq answered, his eyes growing hard. "But we found no tracks leading to or from him. And the snow didn't exhibit disturbances indicating someone was using fire or air to travel."

Anger and confusion flicked across Vallik's face as he processed the story Tonraq told him. "What does he look like?" Vallik asked.

"He has raven-black hair, fair skin, and bright green eyes." Tonraq answered.

"Green?" Vallik asked, bewildered at such a color.

"Yes sir. Given his appearance I would wager he has Fire Nation ancestry." Tonraq added.

After a moment of thought, Vallik said "Well under circumstances like these, we tell the people about the child and offer 30 days for them to come forth with information regarding their parents. If we fail to find their parents within that time frame, or the parents are unable, or unwilling, to care for them, the child is put up for adoption."

"Who is to lead the investigation sir?" Tonraq asked.

"I think you and ten of our best will do for now. Meet up after lunch and we'll go over the details." Vallik answered. "And if you want, you can hold on to him for the time being. And if all else fails, you can adopt him yourself." he added.

"Thank you sir. Have a good day." Tonraq said, bowing as he left the complex.

As he made his way back, he pondered over the mystery of the boy's appearance. 'No tracks, and no sign of firebending or waterbending, and the only airbender I know of is in Republic City.' he mused. 'And Tenzin would never abandon a child, no matter what.' As he entered the hut, his musings were brought to an abrupt end as he saw Senna, Korra and the boy playing together, the toddlers chasing one another in a impromptu game of tag. The boy, younger than Korra, was not as steady and soon fell to the floor, to which Korra responded by falling to all fours, like a fire ferret. Slowly she moved toward the boy, who righted himself on all fours and they began play wrestling. Korra won easily due to her weight advantage. Then they got up and started all over again.

Smiling, Tonraq walked to his wife and said "Looks like they're getting along just fine."

Senna nodded and replied "Yeah, Korra really likes him. He was a little shy but he warmed up quickly enough." Looking to her husband, she asked "How did your meeting with the chief go?".

"It went well." Tonraq answered. "We're organizing an investigation for the boy's parents, and I'll be leading it. If all else fails, we can adopt him.".

Senna briefly nodded then raised her eyebrows and asked "By the way, what are we gonna call him? For the time being anyway.".

"Hmmm... I don't know." Tonraq replied, forehead furrowed in thought. "Well he looks like a firebender." he mused. "Zodeh? Zaro? Roki?" he suggested, earning looks of disbelief from his wife, and even the kids.

"Z doesn't seem to be the right starting sound." Senna said. "Roki has the right start, but not the right finish. How about Rezeng?" and at that everyone cringed. "Ranka?"

"Getting closer. How about an R and K sound combination?" Tonraq answered. "Rukha?".

"Sounds better." Senna said, then inspiration flashed across her face. "I've got it: Ryuukhan!"

"Sounds perfect! What do you think?" Tonraq said, glancing at the toddlers.

Korra began jumping up and down, shouting "Yeah! Ryuukhan! Ryuukhan!".

The boy smiled widely and nodded his head while clapping as though in applause.

"OK. For now, you are Ryuukhan." Tonraq said as he leaned down and picked the toddler up, mutual joy upon their faces.

-Line Break-

Author's Notes: I know I haven't been writing for a while. School got in the way, and I kept having doubts about my abilities. Anyway, this idea has been knocking around in my head for a while and I wanted to do my take on it. I know this plot of having Harry be raised by someone else has been used by virtually every franchise imaginable. This story was in part inspired by Tale of Two Avatars, written by DragoCygnusthefifth.

As for the names, I got Ryuukhan from a combination of Ryuu, meaning dragon in Japanese, and Khan, meaning leader in Mongolian, and I thought it sounded cool. Vallik I made up, and Halla, and the rest I got from a website:  #.V1dHk5ErLIU.

I've also been working on a mega-project regarding conlangs for the Avatarverse, basically one for each nation as well as some linguistic history behind each.


	2. Chapter 2: Counterstrike

This is an idea that I have been entertaining for quite some time. I know that stories with a similar premise have been written so I will try to keep this as original as I can. No plagiarism intended. I do not own either Legend of Korra or Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino own Legend of Korra

BTW, a big thanks to I'm a Basket Case, who's agreed to be my Beta Reader for this fanfic.

-Line Break-

As he waited for his backup to arrive, Albus mulled over that events that night. The diversionary battle proved costly for all involved, but the disappearance of Voldemort provided a golden opportunity for the Light.

'If we move quickly, we can neutralize the Death Eaters for good.' he mused.

He knew that Voldemort ruled almost exclusively through fear, which, combined with his narcissism and violent temper, meant that the Death Eaters focused more on gaining his favor than winning the war. There was also little intelligence that indicated Voldemort had a successor in place, so the issue of leadership should he disappear or die was never resolved. Thus, establishing a new leader would be a very complex and time-consuming affair.

'No time to waste then.' he concluded and he pulled out his mirror once more. "Madam Bones" he said, watching his reflection be replaced by that of a stern, solid-jawed woman.

"Albus?" she asked, concern and confusion clearly showing.

"Amelia, I have good news and bad news." he began. "The Potters are gone, and Alice and Frank Longbottom have been rendered severely, perhaps permanently, psychologically broken." grief washed over his features.

"However, Voldemort's disappeared, with no evidence that he did so magically. The security wards are down, but there is no magical residue from Apparition or a portkey." he continued, grief replaced by a firm determination. "The Floo is down, and there are no tracks leading away from the house."

"If what you say is true, we have a great opportunity here." Bones replied. "I'll gather my top Aurors and start hitting the Death Eater hideouts and safe houses".

Nodding furiously, Albus added "I'll send all the intelligence I have on them. Hopefully we can hit before they recover."

Following a quick nod, Bones turned behind her and yelled "Shacklebolt, get me Captains Jones, Rick, and Samson. We've got to carry out a massive attack and soon." Turning back she asked "When can I expect the intelligence Albus?"

"I'll send it within the hour. For security, I'll send it via Order members." he answered, just as the distant pops of Apparition sounded off outside. "I need to go. Contact you soon." he said, replacing the mirror back inside his robes. Just as he raised his wand, a voice called out "Anyone need a Healer?" and he slightly relaxed.

"We're from St Mungo's. We were sent to check on the Longbottoms." the voice, which he recognized as Paulo Pomphrey, the brother of the nurse at Hogwarts, continued.

"Come in, slowly." Dumbledore replied, not quite trusting the voice.

A moment later, a face peeked out through the front door: blonde, brown-eyed, a crooked nose, and eyes that showed long familiarity with pain and suffering. He looked around and then locked eyes with Dumbledore. For a brief moment, neither said or did anything, then Dumbledore lowered his wand, his stance shifting from alert to relieved.

"It's good to see you Paulo" he said, confident that it was indeed the Healer himself. "And yes, we do need help. Alice and Frank are in a dreadful state. See what you can do for them." he continued, pointing to his friends on the floor.

Shock playing out over his face, Paulo yelled "We've got two patients! Get them to St Mungo's!" and within a moment, more Healers arrived, standing by. As the Healers conjured stretchers, Paulo, swishing his wand, levitated the prone, unresponsive Longbottoms to waist level before gently lowering them onto the stretchers.

"We'll take care of Alice and Frank." he said as he and the others led the Longbottoms out through the door. "And Augusta arrived with us. She'll look after Neville."

"I've no doubt of that." Dumbledore said as he watched the Healers depart through the door. Soon after a new witch, shorter, older than the shortly departed Healers, but filled with a fiery determination that terrorized even the worst Death Eaters.

"Augusta, so sorry for this turn of events." he said, grief and anger evident on his face. "I must leave now but I promise I will return so we can make the necessary arrangements.". Augusta simply nodded and made her way to the nursery where her grandson lay.

Making his way off the grounds and pass the security wards, Dumbledore took one more look around and Apparated away.

-Line Break-

After arriving at his destination, Dumbledore made his way to the central hall of the secret headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. After making sure the wards were still active, he pulled out his mirror and said "Arthur Weasley".

The mirror rippled to reveal a red-haired man with a thin face, glasses, and a touch of premature baldness.

"Albus, what is wrong?" the man, Arthur asked, confused concern playing across his face.

"We must move quickly." Dumbledore said. "I need you and Elphias to meet me at Madam Bones' office. We're planning a major attack on the Death Eaters."

"Now?!" Arthur asked, eyebrows raised in clear surprise. Whatever he was expecting, this was not it. "We just pulled out of a major engagement, suffered heavy losses, and you want us to go on the offensive?!"

"Things have changed Arthur." Dumbledore replied, firmly standing his ground. "Voldemort has disappeared without a trace."

Arthur, caught in mid-flinch at the mention of the dreaded name, asked "What do you mean he's disappeared?"

"He attacked the Longbottoms, broke Alice and Frank, attempted to kill Neville, and then just disappeared." Dumbledore began, watching anger, shock, and confusion play out over Arthur's face. "There's no magical residue, so he couldn't have Apparated away or escaped via a Portkey. There are no tracks leading out of the house, and the Floo was offline. For all his abilities, even Voldemort can't become intangible or move through solid ground."

"No, quite right." Arthur agreed. "So the Death Eaters are in a bit of a kerfuffle aren't they? And you want us to provide intel and manpower for the attack" he added, seeing Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Well I'll be there as soon as possible."

Nodding once, Dumbledore then said "Elphias Doge" and the mirror rippled to reveal a white-haired man, wrinkles of age and battle stretching across his temples and forehead, but with eyes holding a ferocity unexpected of someone his age.

"Albus, what's happening?" he asked.

"I need you to meet me and Arthur in Madam Bones' office." Dumbledore answered. "Voldemort's disappeared, and there's no evidence indicating he'll be back soon. If we move quickly, we can end the Death Eaters as a threat before they have a chance to regroup."

After a moment of stunned silence, Doge nodded and said "I'll be there soon." and he turned away from the mirror.

A brief moment later, Dumbledore made his way outside and Apparated away.

-Line Break-

Dumbledore reappeared at an old telephone booth, which was in dire need of repair and/or replacement, and, upon entry, dialed 62442.

As the dialer finished rotating, a feminine voice, in a professional, London accent, said "Please state your name and business."

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, law enforcement." Dumbledore replied.

"Thank you." the voice answered back, as the booth began to shudder, then descent straight into the ground. As the booth came to a stop, the voice said "Please make your way to the security desk and surrender your wand for inspection. The Ministry of Magic wishes you a good day."

Upon exiting the booth, Dumbledore felt a torrent of water fall over him, leaving him thoroughly soaked. With a wave of his hand, the fluid dispersed, leaving him dry as a bone. 'Bloody security measures.' he thought as he made his way to the front desk. The guard, a young woman, shrugged her shoulders in response, as though she knew what he was thinking. Nodding politely, Dumbledore handed his wand to her.

As she examined his wand, Dumbledore took the opportunity to look her over. She was young, probably in her mid to late thirties, with black hair and a deep tan like Professor Singh from the Delhi Academy of Magic, whom he shared letters with, and, with a brief Legilimency probe, totally and vehemently opposed to the Death Eaters.

"Everything's in working order sir." she said, handing him his wand and a small bag from behind the desk. "Here's your wand and your badge for the day. Enjoy."

"Thank you. You do the same." he answered. Reaching into the bag he pulled out a small bronze badge. Written in gold letters, he read "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Law Enforcement. Approved by the Ministry of Magic". Rolling his eyes at the last part, Dumbledore put it on as he made his way across the atrium, pausing to look at the water fountain, which displayed a centaur, goblin, and house-elf looking up in awe and wonder at the wizard and witch in the center.

'Is it no wonder we're having difficulties against Voldemort.' he mused as he made his way to the lift. "Hold please" a voice called, pulling his attention back from the lift.

It was Arthur Weasley and Elphias Doge, briskly walking across the atrium to the lift, the latter struggling somewhat to keep up with the younger man.

Upon their arrival, Dumbledore closed the lift and called "Department of Magical Law Enforcement.".

"So, what makes you think this isn't a ploy by You-Know-Who to get us to expose our hand?" Arthur asked as the lift descended deeper into the Ministry.

"Simple: I've got a spy in Voldemort's ranks." he answered, slightly annoyed as both men flinched at the name. "This spy informed me that he was expecting his master's return shortly after his attack tonight, but he never came. It's not like Voldemort to not keep to his plans. Say what you will of him but one thing you can't fault him for is procrastination. The spy even went so far as to touch his Dark Mark, but Voldemort never responded all night, which is impossible."

Weasley and Doge raised their eyebrows at this.

"If Voldemort was able, he would have appeared soon after the Dark Mark was touched." Dumbledore explained. "The fact that the spy was stood up means that it was impossible for Voldemort to answering the Dark Mark."

"So...then he's...dead?" Doge asked, disbelief and a twinge of hope ringing in his voice.

For a moment, Dumbledore was silent, pondering the question. Truth be told, he was not convinced Voldemort was truly gone. One of Voldemort's greatest ambitions was to live forever, and there was no limit as to how far he would go to achieve his aspirations. Deep down, with every iota of his being, he believed that, somehow, Voldemort survived this night...but without proof of his hypothesis, he knew no one save his more trusting followers would accept it, and Doge was not quite among them.

"I do not know." he finally answered as the lift came to a stop. "I just know that this is our best chance."

Disembarking, the men made their way down the hall to the larger offices, which happened to host an enchanted window that showed Big Ben as it appeared at that time of night. Turning to the door, which had the words "Head of Magical Law Enforcement" blazed onto the wood, they knocked softly yet firmly several times.

Slowly the door creaked open and a face peeked out: male, mangled, and covered in scars, with a large, broad nose. However, it was the eyes that identified the man: one was small, dark, perfectly human; the other was wide, the size of a galleon, electric blue, and perpetually spinning, turning in directions impossible for a normal human.

"Alastor Moody, how good to see you again." Dumbledore said, smiling.

Moody looked at him, then at Doge, then at Weasley, and after a long hard stare at all three finally opened the door all the way. "It's good to see you too Albus." he said, reaching out his hand and shaking the old Headmaster's firmly. "Bones told me there was a big operation going down and I wanted in. She said I might not be up to it, what with the new leg and all, but I...convinced her otherwise."

"I wouldn't have expected anything less." Dumbledore responded, smiling at Moody's story. "Now may we come in so we can discuss the plan?" he asked.

Moody, with a short nod, quickly moved aside, allowing them to enter.

The room inside was relatively bare, with only a desk, a few chairs, and a fireplace with a flower pot, no doubt filled with Floo powder. Above the fireplace lay the only decoration visible in the room: a painting of a house made of red sandstone, with granite quoins and arching, stain-glass windows framed in light gray brick leading up to a triangular roof set against a hipped roof topped with a series of chimneys. Around the house was a row of trees bearing apples, pears, and peaches, all ripe for the plucking. Beneath the trees lay a line of flowers, with colors ranging from red to white, perfectly complementing the trees above them. The background showed a clear, blue sky, with a small pond to the right of the house, the few clouds in the sky reflected perfectly in the water.

'Bones Manor, how well I remember it.' Dumbledore thought fondly, memories of a happier time, playing with friends under the trees, eating fruit around the pond, and studying in the library, flashing across his mind.

"I appreciate your taste in art Albus," a voice said, breaking Dumbledore from his nostalgia. "But we really have important business to discuss." Turning his attention to the desk, he saw Bones and a line of Aurors standing by, ready for action.

"Yes, quite right." he said quickly, making his way to the desk. "Now I assume all of you know about Voldemort's disappearance, so I'll be brief." Ignoring the collective flinch at the dreaded moniker, he pulled out his wand and conjured a map of Britain, one where only a few of the major metropolitan areas were highlighted. "Voldemort, as I understand it, never considered naming a successor, as he believed himself to be immortal and invincible. So now that he's vanished, the Death Eaters are currently leaderless. Furthermore, to prevent them from turning against him, he fostered fear and mistrust among themselves, so they're unlikely to unite under a new leader without significant infighting. If we want to take them out we must strike now."

His audience nodding, Dumbledore flicked his wand at the map, and a number of locations lit up with a skull featuring a snake protruding from its mouth, the Dark Mark. "I have a spy within the Death Eater ranks, and according to the intelligence provided by him, these are the most significant Death Eater safe houses."

"Much of this does correspond with our intelligence regarding them." Bones replied, looking the map over. "But from what we know, they are extremely well-protected. How can we expect to take them down without mass casualties?" she asked, worry crossing her face.

"My spy has provided key intelligence regarding the weak spots of those wards." Dumbledore answered. "They are all very strong and overlap each other, so breaking them is difficult. However, they do have a few weaknesses." and with a small tap on the table, the map was replaced with a schematic of a two-story house. "First of all, the anti-Apparition wards are older and independent of the other defensive wards, so if we take the latter down, the Death Eaters won't have the option of simply Apparating away. Second, in order for the Death Eaters to enter and leave without continuously deactivating and reactivating the wards, they are keyed to the Dark Mark itself. If you are marked, have a steady heartbeat and respiration, and enter of your own free will, the wards will not activate."

"So what we need is a Trojan Death Eater." Bones interjected, shock and suspicion playing across her face. "Where do we find a Trojan Death Eater? And how do we know he won't betray us at the last instant?" she inquired, shoulder muscles rising in anger.

"We already have one, the spy I've mentioned multiple times: Severus Snape." Dumbledore answered, and everyone present raised their eyebrows in shock and anger. "I know he's done terrible things, but he has repented and is seeking redemption." he added quickly, hoping to alleviate their doubts.

"Why? What could have caused this change of heart?" Moody asked. "I didn't see it when we saw those children in Kent, crying over the corpses of their parents after Count Krov and his court feasted upon them. Or those people in the trailer park, ripped apart by Greyback and his wolves. Or those women in Edinburgh, stripped, flayed, and..."

"Enough Alastor!" Bones interrupted. "We don't need to be reminded of those atrocities. But an excellent point Albus. What could have happened that would make Snape, of all people, suddenly change hearts like this?"

"Snape...owes James a life debt." Dumbledore replied, though not without some hesitation. "He would rather avoid remaining indebted to him by serving James' last cause." While that seemed to satisfy some people, Bones was not among them. "If it makes you feel any better, I will place a curse on Snape, one that will cripple him at the first sign of betrayal." he sighed, knowing Bones would not settle for anything less.

"I will inspect the curse myself Albus." Bones replied. "But make no mistake: Snape WILL be closely watched. AND...at the first hint of betrayal, we WILL end him. Understood?" she asked, eyes staring hard into Dumbledore.

Nodding wearily, Dumbledore turned his attention back to the schematic. "Now that we've cleared that up, this is Mr Travers' house. He's in charge of Death Eater operations in this part of Britain, as well as the areas immediately to the west and north. According to Snape, he prefers to let his subordinates run wild, only summoning a few to his house at any one time. Therefore, we have the advantage of numbers. I suggest we approach on foot, let Snape disable the wards, then we move in and grab Travers and all available information regarding his operations" Dumbledore explained, holding everyone's attention.

"Sounds like a plan." Moody agreed, along with many of their comrades.

"Moving on," Dumbledore said and, tapping the schematic, changed it to a different blueprint.

-Line Break-

Silently, stiffly, Snape made his way to the house of Travers, one of the most dangerous Death Eaters to grace Voldemort's ranks. With careful ease, Snape walked up the stairs, and knocked upon the door. Though it would have been easy to simply open it himself, he knew Travers was paranoid enough to fill the house with booby traps, which only he could deactivate.

"Who is it?!" a hoarse voice called out.

"Severus Augustus Snape." he replied, his voice monotone, betraying none of the emotions roiling inside him.

Evidently he passed the test for the door, slowly and creaking loudly, opened. Snape entered at a swift pace, but constantly stopped to check his surroundings. After all, in a house rigged with booby traps, you could never be too careful.

As he made his way down the hall, Snape became aware of a foul smell, akin to month-old sweat mixed with the musk of an elephant in heat. 'So, taking stimulant potions are we?' he mused, recognizing the stench from his experience in Potions. 'No wonder he's become so paranoid.' he mused as he made his way into the living room, the hall growing increasingly malodorous. 'Even if you don't feel sleepy, it's never a good idea to go too long without it. The potions will keep you from dying, but they can't stave off the effects of chronic sleep deprivation forever.'

As he reached the living room, the stench mixed with that of laundry soaked in blood, guts, and semen. 'Evidently he couldn't even change his clothes. At the very least he's using the bathroom.' he mentally rejoiced, thankful for that particular smell's absence.

"Severus, what has happened?!" Travers called from inside, prompting Snape to enter unto a very interesting sight to say the least. The walls were covered in maps, overlaid with pictures of Aurors and Order members, knives, nails, and tacks sticking them to the walls, multicolored yarn connecting them like a giant game of connect the dots. The floor, void of furniture, was covered in a giant map of Britain itself, with a similar game playing out in front of him, only bigger and much, much more entangled. Seeing this, he laid himself flat against the wall and inched his way around the room.

"If you're wondering what has happened to the room, I'd say you've happened it to." he replied, aiming to keep Travers off guard until he could get into position. While he was a skilled duelist, he knew the best strategy was to take Travers down in one shot, and he only had one chance to do so. One of the side-effects of stimulant potions was heightened awareness of one's surroundings and increased reaction time, though with continuous sleep deprivation this would result in aggression, obsessive attention to detail, and, eventually, paranoia.

Snorting dryly, Travers snapped "No, no, no, no, no! Not the room, the Dark Lord!" and he began frantically looking over the room, as though expecting a visit from said Dark Lord. "I've touched the Dark Mark and he's not responded! I've been touching it for an hour, AN HOUR!" he ranted. "And you know how he is about punctuality! He Crucio'd the Carrows for half an hour for being thirteen seconds late, THIRTEEN SECONDS! So where is he?!"

"I've been with the fool Dumbledore for the past few hours." Snape explained, slowly raising his wand. "He sent parties to check on the Potters and the Longbottoms, after realizing the attack on Diagon Alley was merely a diversion. Apparently, the Dark Lord disappeared after attacking the Longbottoms."

"WHAT?!" Travers yelled, slouching over the table at the far end of the room. "What do you mean disappeared?! The only reason he would not answer is..." his body stiffened as his brain processed that train of thought. "No. No! No, no, no, no, NO!" he ranted, his body turning and convulsing violently. "He's not...he's not...". As his body convulsed, he turned back to the map.

Seeing his chance, Snape whispered "Stupefy.", hitting the man square in the back, Travers dropping over the table like a rag doll.

Swiftly, Severus made his way to the fireplace, where the keystone ward was and deactivated it. With a low-pitch hum, the wards shut down in a brief flash of blue light washing over the house.

Almost immediately, Dumbledore and the Aurors burst in, some heading upstairs to check for hidden reinforcements, others heading for the study to confiscate the books and any other information they could.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore, Moody, and Weasley entered the living room. Momentarily stunned by the layout, and the stench, they made their way to the table where Travers lay stunned and powerless.

"Nice work Snape." Dumbledore said as he bound Travers with magic-suppressing shackles. "One down, four to go."

-Line Break-

The next house they hit was the Carrow's, where a small meeting was being held in the wake of Voldemort's sudden disappearance. As the Death Eaters sat around the table, Amycus Carrow broke the news. "My fellow Death Eaters, our Lord has failed to respond to our hails for the last few hours. If anyone has any knowledge of why this is, speak up."

After a brief moment of confused silence, Amycus continued. "In the wake of his prolonged absence, I move to take over as temporary overseer of all Death Eater activities for the foreseeable future."

At Amycus's proclamation the gathered Death Eaters rankled, with one rising up and yelling "By what right do you claim to take the Dark Lord's place Amycus?!"

Amycus, sneering at the upstart Death Eater, calmly, contemptuously replied "I claim the right of superior blood, Euan. My family tree goes back beyond the Norman Invasion, eight centuries of magic! Your family on the other hand, only has two generations, tops."

"My you must be stupid." Euan scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "Those two generations cover BOTH sides of my family, whereas your claim only covers your mother's." Leaning across the table, Euan added "And if I recall correctly your father was...a MAILMAN. Yes I know your father is, supposedly, the great Angus Carrow...but you don't share that strong a family resemblance, do you?" Smirking, he asked "So what's worse: legitimate son of a new family, or bastard son of a Muggle?"

Amycus, red with fury, roared out "How DARE you impugn the purity of my bloodline?!". Rising from the table, Amycus whipped out his wand, prompting Euan to do the same.

"Are you sure you wanna do that Amy?" Euan taunted. "I was the European Dueling Champion four years in a row. You, on the other hand, have lost two out of every three battles you've fought for four years. Or is it higher?"

"We'll see about that, you who would besmirch my family name!" Amycus spat as he cast a red curse toward Euan, only for his opponent to lazily dodge and retaliate.

As the other Death Eaters rapidly withdrew from the table, Amycus hastily erected a shield and cast another curse, only for Euan to repeat his prior performance. Furious, Amycus launched curse after curse, but each attack was either blocked, parried, or dodged. Seeing Euan's perpetual smirk only fueled his rage as Amycus intensified his attacks.

A few moments later, Amycus attacks began to slow, as his breathing became shorter and shallower. Euan, seeing Amycus falter, raised his wand and said "Tarantallegra." and everyone watched as Amycus' legs began jerking and dancing involuntarily. Some snickered, driving Amycus' fury to new heights but the uncontrolled jerking of his legs made casting spells near impossible.

Basking in his rival's public humiliation, Euan continued his assault.

"Rictusempra." and Amycus broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

"Incendio." he added, sending a fireball at his crippled rival, watching smugly as Amycus' robes caught fire.

"All burned up?" he taunted as the fire spread, his laughs interrupted by a hacking cough from his victum.

"Aquamenti." saw a jet of water soaking Amycus, his robes in tatters as his legs continued their convulsive dancing. "Now, you're ALL wet."

Red-faced with rage, Amycus tried to retaliate but the charms delayed his wand.

"Get the point?" Euan taunted as he transfigured Amycus' chair into a phalanx of swords.

Amycus, seeing the danger, paled as terror replaced his fury and his dancing legs carried him closer to the blades.

Unfortunately for Euan, while his attention was solely focused on Amycus, a red and black curse hit square in the shoulder. Euan collapsed over the table, his smirk transforming into a grimace of agony, clutched at his stomach, where it seemed dozens of snakes were poking, tearing to break loose.

Suddenly his throat, then his cheeks, began bulging outward, forcing Euan to cover his mouth with his hands. Eyes wide in a horror-struck face, Euan, recognizing the curse, desperately tried to cast but it was too late: as soon as he moved his hand, blood and yellow pus, then a slimy, segmented snake, vomited up into his hand. Looking down in pure, unadulterated horror, he held the snake over the table, revealing it to be his small intestine.

Just then, another coughing bout followed, and a larger, darker object erupted out his mouth, the stench of blood and excrement filling the room. Euan, horrified by his fate, tried to scream but his mouth, clogged by bodily fluids, wouldn't comply.

Looking around for the caster, he saw the sadistic smirk of Alecto Carrow, Amycus' much-too-close sister, and watched as she raised her wand and said "Avada kedavra". The last thing Euan saw was a flash of green as his body collapsed over the table, face-down in his vomited fluids.

Amycus, smirking at Euan's corpse, boasted "THAT'S what a short family line amounts to". Turning to the other Death Eaters, he asked "Anyone else want to try?"

Three Death Eaters at the far end of the table rose and drew their wands.

"You've no right to gloat." one man, tall with a crew-cut declared. "It was only thanks to your sister that you survived. If she were not here, you'd be mincemeat."

His moment of glory spoiled, Amycus' face turned red and he pointed his wand at the new challengers. "How would you like to duel me here and now?!" he challenged. Grimly, the three Death Eaters raised their wands and took defensive stances.

As the battle lines were drawn, Snape stealthily made his way into the room and surveyed the situation. 'What a fine bunch they are.' he mused, condescension marinating his thoughts. 'They're in the middle of a war, leaderless, with no plan, and they're bickering among themselves? I don't believe what anyone says: the Sorting Hat DOES make mistakes' he drawled, noting some striking similarities between them and his old housemates.

Putting those thoughts aside, Snape surveyed the room and found the mantle near the head of the table, which contained the keystone ward housed inside an ancient stone shield. Without that shield, the wards, nearly unbreakable, would collapse within minutes. All he needed was one good shot, and with the idiots in front of him about to duel to the death, he had plenty of opportunities... and scapegoats.

As the duel unfolded, he saw the Carrows face off against their three contenders with brutal but unimaginative tactics: simple Blasting spells and Shield charms. 'I knew cunning was never their strong suit, but really?' he thought as he turned his attention to the other side, which was being far more creative, combining hexes and jinxes with occasional Transfiguration.

The crew-cut managed to transfigure a bust of Amycus' father into a nest of hornets which promptly attacked the Carrows. Seeing them dance and yelp with pain, while simultaneously trying to dodge incoming hexes, caused a rare, small smile to grace his lips. 'Wish I could have done that to Potter and his gang.' he thought bitterly. 'But enough of that.'

Soon enough, the Carrows shook off the bee stings and prepared to strike back, with Amycus raising his wand and yelling "Maximus Bombarda".

'Now's my chance' Snape thought as he raised his wand and, quiet as a ghost, whispered "Depulso".

The spell grabbed Amycus' wand and pushed it slightly to his right and upward just as the spell was completed. To everyone's surprise the spell missed all his targets and hit the stone shield, pulverizing it as the shock wave sent nearby Death Eaters flying.

His task complete, Snape withdrew into the hall and listened as the Death Eaters began to panic. Hearing pops nearby, he turned to see a phalanx of Aurors, Alastor Moody at the head, ready and waiting.

"They're in the drawing room around a table." he said quickly. "Six are on the side closest to the door, with three by the back way and two farthest from the entry."

Giving a thumbs-up in understanding, Moody and the Aurors barged into the room and engaged the Death Eaters. Taken by surprise, most of the Death Eaters, including the Carrows, were stunned or paralyzed almost immediately. The three near the back way, however, managed to erect shield charms as they tried to escape..only to be pinned down by a trio of lionesses that Moody created by transfiguring the table.

As the lionesses bit down into the arms and throats of their prey, the Aurors, focusing their attacks on the last two, transfigured the carpet beneath them into a large python. As the python grappled with one of the Death Eaters, the other transfigured the chairs into wolves and sent them against the Aurors as he turned to run. One Auror, seeing the fleeing Death Eater, charged into the wolf pack and managed to stun him even as the wolves bit into her right forearm and legs. As the last Death Eater succumbed, the other Aurors canceled his Transfiguration, reverting the wolves back into chairs, and began rounding up their fallen foes.

Minutes later, Healers entered the meeting room and quickly made their way to the wounded, dispensing potions, herbs, and charms in a flurry of activity. Seeing the relatively light cost of the battle, with no deaths or grievous injuries, Moody turned to Snape and said "Well done Severus".

-Line Break-

Upon reaching the third house, Malfoy Manor, Snape entered without delay or hassle and made his way to Lucius' study. Upon his arrival, he paused to look over the room, which was surprisingly spartan for someone of Lucius' status: there was only a small table, two chairs, and a single line of bookshelves, with the most prominent feature being a large window, which easily took up half of the wall.

There, he saw Lucius, staring out the window, his back turned to Snape, contemplating the constellations.

"Severus, why have you come?" Lucius asked, never taking his eyes off the stars, though a subtle motion in his robes hinted him grasping his wand. "Have you information on our Lord?" worry inflecting his voice at the thought of Voldemort.

"All I know is that, in his absence, the Aurors have taken the opportunity to round us all up." Snape replied, watching Lucius' back stiffen. "Without the Dark Lord's guidance, we are scattered, leaderless, without direction. Soon they will come for you."

"What?! How?!" Lucius snapped, turning at last to face Snape. "How do they know of my involvement?!" he demanded, his face pale with worry while his eyes burned with anger.

"There was a spy in our ranks." Snape replied. "He has provided the necessary evidence that you funded our Lord, generously at that...and practiced the Unforgiveables on many people."

Lucius, shocked at the news, trembled slightly as he contemplated his next move.

"However, there is hope for you yet." Snape interjected, snapping Lucius back to the present. "For someone of your status, a trial is guaranteed, which is the perfect opportunity for you to claim that you were actually under the Imperius curse. It has worked for others, and it will be all too easy for you."

"And how do you know Dumbledore won't come after me?" Lucius drawled, his voice tightening ever so slightly at the mention of his old Headmaster.

"He won't go after you." Snape scoffed. "He has so many other responsibilities that he won't have the time. Besides, even if he did have the time, he would be facing the battle of the century. Though your image may be tarnished, you'll still hold considerable influence among the elite and the Ministry. Prosecuting you would cause a scandal and serious political ramifications, possibly even polarizing our society. Dumbledore, for all his power and knowledge, is far too timid to force the issue; always preferring to give people another chance, no matter how many times they let him down." For a moment, his voice cracked as the last comment conjured up bitter, painful memories.

With a slow breath, Snape resumed. "In any case, after the chaos and turmoil of this war, the last thing the people will want is another conflict. So, even if Dumbledore had the desire and the spine to prosecute you, the people would never allow it. Thus, this will work." he finished.

Lucius' face, while retaining his habitual sneer, showed small hints of the emotions raging inside him. On the one hand, he galled at the humiliation of being judged by people of inferior breeding, which included a number of the Wizengamot. Under normal circumstances, membership on the Wizengamot was hereditary, passed on through family lines. How could the sons of paupers ever perform as well as the high and mighty?

However, many families were extinguished during the war, forcing them to adopt new blood into the system to fill out the vacancies. To be fair, many of the new faces were rather old, with their youngest barely over sixty-five. With so many of the younger generation fighting in the war, there was simply no one else; and besides, who but the elders could ever have the wisdom to judge fairly and honorably? Still, many of them were mere mudbloods, and the thought of them judging him was abominable.

However, once he silenced his pride, his Slytherin training reasserted itself. What would he gain from fighting a losing battle? If he resisted arrest or denied his wartime actions, he would spend all his life in Azkaban; his body, mind, and magic rotting, dwindling as time and inactivity relentlessly gnawed at him. But most of all, his name, his family name, which had been a powerful and influential force since the Norman Invasion, would be forever tarnished, a target of scorn and contempt.

'My name.' he thought, realizing just how high the stakes were now. With his conviction, his wife would divorce him and raise their infant son, Draco, with the name of Black, thus sentencing his name, his line, to extinction. Could he allow that to happen? And what would become of his son, his heir? How would Narcissa raise him? What would Draco think of his father? The fool that destroyed his family name out of pride? And did he want to cut himself out of Draco's life before he ever had a chance?

With those thoughts, his course of action became clear.

"I'll surrender once the Aurors arrive." he said. Raising his wand, he pointed it at the only decoration in the study, an elaborate plaque displaying the stars. Aiming at the north star, Polaris, a single string of light exited his wand, hitting it dead-center. The star blinked momentarily and with a low hum, the wards deactivated.

"It is done." Lucius said, footfalls sounding off outside. "Let us commence." and, dropping his wand at Snape's feet, he raised his arms over his head in surrender.

Moments later, the Aurors arrived, with Doge at their head. Seeing Malfoy near the window, Doge raised his wand and said "Lucius you are under arrest.".

A brief lookover later, Doge retrieved Malfoy's wand while the Aurors bound his hands with magic-suppressing shackles and searched his person for any potential Portkeys. Once they completed their search, the Aurors led him to the door where they Apparated away.

A moment later, Snape followed them to the grounds where he Apparated to the next house: Karkaroff's.

-Line Break-

To say that Karkaroff's house was a headache was like saying the sun is a little bright. Karkaroff was with a number of Death Eaters who had gotten into an argument regarding Voldemort's disappearance. Some, like Karkaroff wanted to wait for instructions from their master lest they incur his wrath by acting without orders. Others, like Evan Rosier, wanted to take the initiative and go on the offensive, citing the cost of the Diagon Alley battle on their enemies.

When Snape arrived he could hear the bickering from the other side of the house.

'Good, let them bicker.' he thought. 'It will make my job much easier.' and he made his way to the cellar.

There he found the keystone ward: an ancient human skull, set atop an altar surrounded by candles. Unbeknownst to most people, this house was originally of the House of MacKenna, an old Scottish family that claimed descent from Kenneth MacAlpin, the first king of the Scots and Picts. From their ancestors, the MacKennas retained rather archaic and foul practices, namely Necromancy. They used the flesh, blood, and bones of friend and foe alike for Potions, Divination, breakfast cups, and anything else they might think of. Most infamously, using a combination of Necromancy and Legilimency, they severed the heads of their own kin, either upon death or irredeemable failure, and suspended them in living death to preserve their memories and knowledge. Even with the invention of Pensieves, which could store memories indefinitely and independently of a living brain, they continued this practice until their extinction in the war, when the last two members, Ailean and his son Alan, were killed in a raid.

The skull on the altar, now a keystone ward, stood as a testament to their unquestioning loyalty to tradition and faith in the old ways.

'Time to bury the past.' Snape thought as he went about deactivating the security wards around the skull. That task complete, he placed a vial, filled with yellow-green fluid and capped with a wooden stopper, over the skull. Angling it so the neck leaned down above the skull via a simple levitation spell, he watched the fluid flow down the neck and collect at the stopper. Nodding in approval of the setup, he climbed back upstairs and followed the bickering voices to the meeting room.

Upon his arrival, he found that the bickering had become worse, with higher, louder voices and battle lines being drawn.

Exasperated, Karkaroff stood up and muttered "All this yelling...I need a drink.". Slipping out of the room, he bumped into Snape at the far end of the hall. Seeing his Death Eater in arms, Karkaroff made his way over to Snape and, with great fear and excitement, asked "Severus, why are you here? Do you know what is happening?".

"I have information, none of it good." Snape answered, mentally sneering as fear gripped Karkaroff. "The Dark Lord is gone, and the Aurors are moving quickly to round up as many Death Eaters as possible."

Recovering from the news quickly, Karkaroff replied "Let them. They have not found us yet, and the wards are impenetrable."

Shaking his head, Snape retorted "The wards are far from impenetrable as you well know. They've already discovered a weak point, and, as of this moment, are on their way."

"How?!" Karkaroff asked, eyes bulging and face paling. "There must have been an informant! But whom?!"

"You know as well as I how our organization works." Snape replied. "It must have been someone from your cell. Who else could it have been? The Dark Lord?" he sneered in ridicule at such a notion. "And in any case, it hardly matters now." he said as a low hum rang off around them.

'Sounds like the acid finally did its job.' he thought. 'The dissolution potion was perfect.'

Karkaroff, hearing the wards drop, began to panic. "Severus, what's going on?!" he asked, grabbing the man by his robes. "Who's the informant?! Do you have any idea?!"

Snape, seemingly indifferent to Karkaroff's actions, simply replied "If I were you, I'd run while I could." and at those words, Karkaroff released his grip.

Realizing that his timing made him the most probable suspect, he briefly looked around and heard the bickering die down as the other Death Eaters noticed the discrepancy. His time short, Karkaroff bolted for the back kitchen, where he activated his emergency Portkey and disappeared without a trace.

Meanwhile, Snape took the opportunity to duck into a broom closet, waiting and listening for the inevitable battle.

He did not have to wait long.

Soon he heard Moody yell out "Surrender quietly and we'll take you in alive.". The only response was a shriek as an Auror, female by the sound of it, was hit by an unknown spell. "Never!" a voice responded, and the battle began in full.

The Aurors, using the same tactics from the Carrow house, soon pinned the Death Eaters against the back of the meeting room.

The Death Eaters, seeing the attack unfold, transfigured the furniture into short but sturdy palisades to aid in their defense. With their line established, the Death Eaters counterattacked, forcing the Aurors back toward the hall.

The battle soon devolved into a stalemate: the Aurors could not get in, but the Death Eaters could not get out. All either side could do was fire randomly with curses and jinxes, hoping that someone was hit.

Slowly, carefully, Snape emerged from the broom closet. Bending down, he crawled behind the Aurors until he reached Moody. Tapping him on the shoulder he asked "Moody, what's the layout?".

"A line of palisades set up like an inverted bow." he gruffly responded, using his eye to survey the layout. "There's a back door to our right. If you can get there, you can hit at least some of them. Punch a few holes in their defense and we can take them out in a last assault."

Nodding his comprehension, Snape made his way back down the hall to a second room, the ballroom in fact. Inside he briefly saw an old, glass chandelier, painted with flowers and vines of green, red, and blue, hanging over a mosaic floor of black and white forest animals.

'What a nice place for a dance. Lily would've loved it.' he thought bitterly as he ran through the room and entered a small, non-descript door. Inside he found a three way intersection between the kitchen, the meeting room, and the ballroom. To his left, he saw a partially opened door, through which he heard the sounds of battle ringing down the intersection.

Stealthily, Snape made his way to the door and, with great care, opened it just a crack so he could see properly. Looking over the Death Eaters, obscured by dust and smoke, he had to admit they knew what they were doing. They did not just set up a working defensive line; they had overlapping kill zones, so even if one was taken out, the line would not immediately fall. To make a dent, he would have to take out at least three combatants, preferable those near the center.

Angling for the best possible shot, he fired a stupefy at the last seen Death Eater position, timing it so it hit when another combatant cast a spell...and missed.

Fuming he tried again...and missed once more.

'Better rethink this here.' he mused. 'Or soon I'M going to need a rescue.'

After a moment's reflection, he realized that he had a much better way of finding his targets: instead of trying to see their actual bodies, he would trace their spells back to them via the brightly colored magic.

'Why did I not think of that earlier?' he pondered with some exasperation. 'And why am I doing this? Moody's eye would be FAR better equipped for this. Nothing for it now.'

Resigning to the absurdity of his position, Snape peered through the door and, aiming to the right of the origins of a green curse, cast a stunner. Hearing a body fall, he quickly aimed for a second target, followed quickly by a third. He thought of attempting a fourth, but knowing better than to tempt fate, he duck back into the shadows and listened as the battle unfolded.

Suddenly, there was a massive explosion, followed by a war cry from the Aurors as they rushed into the room. The Death Eaters attempted a gallant defense, but it was clear they were overwhelmed. Some tried to surrender right then and there, only to get hit in the back for their cowardice. Others, like Evan, who shouted his refusal earlier, desperately fought on. But it was all in vain: one-by-one, the Death Eaters were stunned, petrified, or killed.

The last one standing was Evan himself, who engaged Moody in a vicious duel. Superbly skilled, Evan managed to take a chunk out of Moody's nose with a severing hex. As Moody reeled from the pain, Evan moved for the kill. Seeing this, Snape raised his wand to intervene...only for Moody to spin around and cast a hex square into Evan's chest. The spell thrust Evan into the back wall, the force so great the wall dented. Evan slid down to the floor like a broken marionette, his chest caved in from the force of Moody's spell.

With Evan dead, the Aurors quickly confiscated the Death Eaters' wands and shackled them with magic-suppressing bindings. Clutching his bleeding nose, Moody turned to Snape as he emerged from the side hall, and said "Well done. Very well done."

Snape, tired from the battle, merely nodded as he fell against the wall, breathing heavily.

-Line Break-

The final house proved by far the most difficult to take: it was the Lestrange Manor, home of Voldemort's most fanatical follower, Bellatrix Lestrange. The manor was impressive, built atop a hill and spread out over the grounds, with a paved road, lined by yew trees, leading to the front doors. Flanking the doors were large, arched, black tinted windows that spread out to the north and south wings. The second floor had its windows boarded up save for slits, perfect for snipers. Most bizarre though, was the roof. On the outside it looked steeply sloped with red and black dormers adorning it, but in the middle was a flat top, with the dormers and the slope providing cover for any lookout guards stationed upon it.

'All in all, a formidable defense.' Snape thought as he and Moody looked it over. "We can't use stealth this time. We'll have to go all out." he said, Moody nodding in confirmation. "Given what's happened so far, they'll be expecting monkey business."

"Which is why I thought Arthur and Elphias would join us this time." Dumbledore said. "Both have experience in wards, so they should be able to overcome the...nastier pieces. We've also called for reinforcements from both the Order and the Auror corps. Together, we should be able to overpower the Lestranges."

Looking back he saw the full force assembled to bring the Lestranges to justice: over 45 Aurors, 25 Order members, and, most unexpectedly, over 30 werewolves and vampires. Although many were lured in by Voldemort's promises of freedom and vengeance, others fiercely fought against him; some out of loyalty to their friends; some out of vengeance against the Death Eaters; others simply to prove that they were not just savage beasts.

"Ephias, have you or Arthur made any headway with the wards?" Dumbledore asked as he reached Doge and Weasley, stooped over a layout of the Manor.

Looking up from his work, Doge replied "I think we have uncovered the weak point in their wards, but even so it will take a considerable amount of power and/or time to defeat them.". Frowning, Doge added "We estimate it could take at least fifteen minutes to break through with conventional methods... far too long if you ask me".

"Is there a way to speed up the process?" Dumbledore asked, anxious to get the raid underway.

"Well there are a few, but we wouldn't recommend them." Weasley replied. "They put the user at a heightened risk of severe injury or even death, and even then there's no guarantee that they will work. That's probably why the Lestranges chose this warding system. If taking down the wards doesn't kill you, then they will."

"What are the alternatives you mentioned?" Dumbledore asked.

"Just keeping our options open." he added hastily, seeing the looks of incredulity from the two ward specialists.

"Well basically when you're dealing with wards you have the option of deactivating them or overloading them." Weasley explained. "Deactivation is always preferable because it poses minimal risk to yourself and whatever the wards are guarding, but it takes considerable time and precise understanding of the wards in question. Most ward systems are built with the expectation that some will be deactivated, so redundancies and backups are installed to prevent the whole system from collapsing. To deactivate the system, you need to understand how the wards interact with each other, so you know which to deactivate and when."

After taking a short breath, he continued "However to get that precise understanding, you either need to be the one that created the system, have decades of experience, or a LOT of time to tease out the interactions, and it's the last one that will eat up our time. We have been studying the system for the last two hours and we only understand about half at best. I'm willing to bet Bellatrix is saving the nastiest wards for last.".

Pausing for a brief moment, Weasley looked over the manor, his face subtly hinting at his internal debate.

"In cases where you either lack sufficient time or simply don't care about what the wards are guarding, overloading is permissible." he said, turning his attention back to Dumbledore. "Essentially you pump a large amount of magic into the distribution and harvesting systems. Wards usually draw their magic from the wizard using them or the Earth itself via Ley Lines. The former allows you to make extremely powerful but very transient wards for personal defense, while the latter is great for long-term, large-scale areas. However, in this case we are having some difficulty determining the keystone ward of the harvesting system."

"What causing the difficulty?" Dumbledore asked as confusion creased his features. "Normally the flow of magic is enough to indicate the location of the keystone ward. Even concealment spells wouldn't be able to hide that. Such spells would use a large amount of magic, meaning more would flow toward the keystone ward and thus make its signature more prominent."

"We have a theory: multiple keystone wards." Doge answered, turning their attention to him. "With multiple keystone wards, the system can be broken down into smaller, independent organizations. This gives the system more redundancy and resilience in the face of attack by making it harder for enemies to target a specific target. The tradeoff, however, is that maintenance is more difficult as you have many more pieces that can break down and more complex interactions, so most wizards don't bother with such a system."

"If there are multiple keystone wards," Weasley interjected. "then we will need to attack all of them to bring the wards down, but we don't know how many of them there are. Taking them out one-by-one will take too long, and we don't know the layout so a simultaneous overload is near impossible. Furthermore, if even one is missed, it will continue to power its specific set of wards, and given the Lestranges know the layout far better than we do, they'll retain the advantage despite our numbers."

Creasing his forehead in concentration, Dumbledore knelt down and touched the ground with his hand, like a doctor feeling a pulse. After taking a few deep breaths, he opened his eyes and said "Alastor, Severus, get everyone in position and prepare to attack on my signal. Arthur, Elphias, you stay with me. I have a plan."

-Line Break-

'What are you planning now Albus?' Moody wondered as he prepared himself for the assault. 'Why do you insist on keeping things from us? Why won't you talk to us? Is it the war? The betrayals? Merlin's beard, who am I to talk?'

Keeping his head low, his magic eye providing all the necessary visual input, Moody made his way to his assigned position. Due to his artificial leg, he was, for the time being, denied front-line duty. Instead, he was given a support position on the north ridge, watching as Lupin and a team of Aurors prepared for battle.

'Brave souls, the lot of them.' Moody thought as he arrived at his position and pulled out a small mirror. "Albus, I'm ready." he whispered, barely audible. Catching a thumbs-up from Lupin, he responded in kind, affirming his readiness. 'Hope they make it through the night.'

Meanwhile, Dumbledore, Weasley, and Doge, in accordance with the plan, had maneuvered themselves to the north by northwest side of the manor. Once in position, they planted themselves, knees bent, legs shoulder length apart, and began breathing deeply. As they exhaled, Dumbledore, pointing his wand at Doge and Weasley, intoned "Magicae translatio.", drawing powerful magic up his legs and spine to his wand, a golden light flowing from the tip.

Weasley and Doge, hearing Dumbledore's spell, pointed their wands outward and said "Confirma sociis nostris.", their wands and hands glowing gold with immense magic.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, Moody felt a small warmth course through his body. Shortly afterward, he heard a single command from the mirror: "Begin".

Raising his wand, Moody fired red sparks into the sky, and the battle began.

Lupin took aim and fired a hex at the Manor. It hit a transparent shield that glowed gold upon impact but inflicted no damage. Seeing an incoming green flash, he ducked just as it flew over him. Shifting his position behind the ridge, Lupin cast another spell, and again did no damage. As the defenders retaliated, an Auror to the east of Lupin stood and fired a black hex, highlighting the shield and drawing fire from the defenders.

Seeing his chance, Lupin launched himself forward and landed behind a small bush. Thankfully, the defender did not notice and kept battling the eastern attacker. Taking advantage of the distraction, a second Auror flung out of hiding and slid down to Lupin.

Unfortunately, the defender noticed the movement, for a third attempted the same maneuver and was hit with a flash of green. Struck in mid-air, she collapsed onto her stomach, her eyes wide and blank with death.

Furious, Moody launched a barrage of curses at the Manor, giving Lupin and the first Auror their chance to move forward again. Taking different directions, Lupin ducked behind a rock while the Auror crawled into a small depression in the ground. Unfortunately his black robe stood out against the green background, making him perfect target practice, as a rushing green flash honed in on him.

Moving quickly, Moody cast a Banishing charm, launching the Auror from his ill-chosen hiding place until he landed behind a small tree. As the Auror was in mid-air, Moody cast a Disillusionment charm, transforming the Auror's clothes, skin, and hair until they perfectly matched his surroundings. Thankfully, the defender lost sight of his targets and fell silent.

This lethal game continued until Lupin and the Auror reached the outer limits of the Manor's defensive wards. By this point, however, they began to dig in, forming a temporary ridge as they waited for the next phase of the attack.

The defenders, seeing the progress being made, intensified their attacks: hexes, curses, and jinxes flying swiftly and furiously from all directions, lighting up the night-sky like a Christmas tree. There was a silver lining though: the shield seemed to get smaller with each consecutive attack, indicating the wards were losing strength, though not nearly as fast as Moody would like. For every step forward they least one ally had fallen, dead, injured, or, at best, incapacitated.

'Come on Albus, hurry.' Moody pleaded.

Evidently Dumbledore, who was now sweating from his exertions, heard him and nodded to his partners. With a final exhale, they pointed their wands at the ground and yelled "Dabo terram hanc magicae!".

As the spell took effect, the massive store of magic they had absorbed from the Ley lines was suddenly transmitted back into it, triggering a minor earthquake. Then, the shield surrounding the Manor began to glow, slowly but surely becoming brighter and brighter, until it shined like the sun. Fearing what was coming, Moody and everyone able summoned their strongest shield wards around themselves.

Soon after, the shield exploded, blowing out the windows, shaking the earth beneath them, and showering them with shards and intense heat, with only their shield wards saving them.

Slightly winded, Moody shook himself clean and looked to the Manor, and found it dark, forbidding, lifeless, quite the contrast from mere seconds ago. A quick diagnostic spell revealed that the wards had collapsed from being overloaded, and a thorough scan with his eye showed the defender previously fighting them was lying on the floor, though whether he was dead or just unconscious Moody could not know.

Getting to his feet, Moody once again fired red sparks into the night sky, signaling an all-out attack. Those still able to move charged at the Manor, making sure to bob and weave across the grounds. Those who couldn't provided cover by transfiguring plants and rocks into lions, tigers, bears, and other animals while Compulsion charms drove them into battle.

Invigorated at the turning tide, Moody moved with astounding speed and agility given his artificial leg. As he neared the house, the sounds of battle renewed with curses, screams, and explosions reverberating through the dark halls. A voice, female by the sound of it, was shrieking at the top of her lungs: "FILTH! ANIMALS! MUDBLOODS! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE MY HOUSE?!"

Recognizing the voice as Bellatrix's, Moody ran toward it, eager to take her down. A Death Eater ran toward him, but Moody easily, almost casually stunned him, dropping the man like a log without once breaking his stride.

Turning the corner he saw Bellatrix writhing and twisting like a black-clad snake, casting curses and jinxes in quick succession against her attackers. Most of them had taken cover at the far end of the hall, but some were either slow or just unlucky, their bodies splayed out between their comrades and their murderer.

Seeing his chance, Moody raised his wand and cast "Stupefy", hitting her square in the back. Bellatrix collapsed in a heap like a rag doll. Reflexively, Moody commanded "Accio", summoning her wand to his waiting hand.

Seeing her stunned and disarmed, the Aurors at the far end emerged from cover and bound her in magic-suppressing chains. Confident that they had the situation at hand, Moody peered out into the adjacent floors and halls. Thankfully most of them were void of fighting, save a stubborn lone defender, a dark-browned haired woman hiding behind a table for cover. Just as Moody raised his wand, she was crushed against the wall when the table flew into her. Seeing the coast was clear, Moody made his way deeper into the Manor, determined to end this once and for all.

-Line Break-

An hour or so later, Dumbledore watched the last Death Eater die as a falling statue impaled him in the chest, his shrieks dissolving into gurgles before trailing off into silence. Scanning the room briefly, he noticed the sunrise beginning to crack over the horizon.

'Did it really last that long?' Dumbledore thought bewildered. 'Mysterious thing time.' he pondered as he exited the room and made his way down the hall.

Despite being physically and magically exhaustion, Dumbledore made sure to visit each of the survivors, offering help whenever he could, usually to cure curses or heal wounds. As he made his rounds, he couldn't help but notice their missing comrades. Out of the original seventy allies they had started with, they had lost nine Aurors, twelve Order members, fifteen werewolves, and two vampires. The Death Eaters, originally twenty-two, now only numbered nine, all in Auror custody.

'Defeat was inevitable for the Death Eaters, but they definitely made us pay for it.' he mused mournfully.

'Well, at least this nightmare is over.' he thought as he sat down for a rest. 'Hopefully, we can put this all behind us.'

His eyelids feeling heavy from fatigue, Dumbledore struggled to stay awake until he heard a voice say "Go ahead and rest. You more than deserve it.". Recognizing Moody's gruff, all-business tone, Dumbledore gave in and fell over onto the carpeted floor, falling asleep almost instantly.

'Now I'm a babysitter.' Moody thought playfully, as a smile crept across his features.

-Line Break-

Massaging his temples in an effort to alleviate his splitting headache, Dumbledore entered the Order's meeting hall. Over the past few months, he had been far busier than usual. While the raids on the Death Eater safe houses had neutralized Voldemort's inner circle, taking out their best fighters and leaders, his full force was considerably larger: hundreds of witches and wizards, werewolves, Dementors, Giants, and all manner of Dark Creatures, all of which were scattered across Britain and needing to be dealt with.

The Dementors, having feasted on victims by the thousands, refused to reenter Ministry servitude and remained at large for weeks, devouring countless souls. It took the combined efforts of Magical Britain, France, Germany, and Scandinavia to defeat the foul creatures by sealing them inside Azkaban's strongest and most feared dungeon: one deep underground and heavily warded against unauthorized entry. This prison, made entirely of magic-absorbent crystal, and reinforced by diamonds and pure, cold iron, possessed only one entrance which, once all the wards were activated, was the only possible exit. Once inside, the Dementors slowly starved, only to be released when they agreed to resume their former duties as Azkaban's guards.

The werewolves proved equally difficult to defeat. Many had joined Voldemort because of the discrimination caused by their disease. Having been Voldemort's allies, they became acceptable targets for even worse discrimination, so they fought back with ferocity fueled by desperation. The werewolves, organizing themselves into Packs centered around an alpha wolf, fought a guerrilla war against the Ministry for weeks. Taking advantage of their curse, they timed their attacks to fall on the full moon where, energized and empowered by the lunar light, they left dozens dead or wounded in their wake. However, while the werewolves were fueled by rage desperation, the Aurors had far more effective weapons: discipline, training, and logistics. While the Packs' decentralized organization prolonged the conflict, eventually the Aurors defeated the werewolves in full, and in the wake of their rebellion, the Ministry passed ever harsher anti-werewolf legislation. What was once cultural and local prejudice became state-sponsored policy.

'But by far, the Dark Creatures were the worst of them all' Dumbledore reflected, sighing heavily.

The Aurors were primarily trained to fight other wizards rather than Creatures, which required specialized training and equipment. The Ministry, finding very few in Britain with the necessary skills, hired specialist hunters from the Americas. These hunters were originally hired as trainers and advisers, but seeing the havoc wrecked by the Dark Creatures and the growing political backlash, the Ministry hired them as mercenaries. The hunters performed exquisitely well, defeating the Dark Creatures in weeks while suffering only minimal casualties. Seeing their success, the war-weary population hailed them as heroes, though the Purebloods were far less enthusiastic.

Thankfully the Giants were relatively easy to deal with. Despite their great size, strength, and durability, their intelligence was comparatively low and their main motivation was for food and material pleasures. A few grand gestures of magic, along with some considerable gifts of food and treasure, convinced the Giants to leave peacefully for the wild and remote mountains of Russia.

'That was a small mercy. I wished the rest was as easy' Dumbledore thought as he took his seat and waited for the arrival of the others. 'The trials. So many people, so many cases.' While he mused over the last few weeks, he silently summoned a line of goblets filled with firewhiskey, placing them and various desserts on the long table.

Minutes later, his headache subsided and the surviving members gathered around the meeting table, seating themselves. As soon as he felt no one else was coming, Dumbledore flicked his wand and above the table an orb appeared. With a few swishes, the orb transformed into a translucent picture of the infant Longbottom, along with the words "The Boy Who Lived" printed above him.

"Hard to believe what's happened over the past few months." Filius Flitwick, the diminutive Charms Master, said. "I thought You-Know-Who's disappearance would be a time of celebration, but instead we got a major headache, and heartache."

"Well he did have a considerable army at his disposal." Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts' Transfiguration Professor, replied. "I'm just glad that it is indeed over, even if it is at such a price." her voice trembled with the last sentence.

"I know." Remus Lupin said. Raising his goblet he toasted "To old friends!"

"And new peace." Dumbledore added, and, with a clink of glass, they toasted the end of the war.

"And the Boy Who Lived" a second voice, Doge, added before polishing off his firewhiskey.

"I look forward to teaching him." McGonagall said. "His parents were excellent students of mine."

"I hope he's alright." Moody said. "I'd hate to imagine what life will be like under his grandmother. Augusta was a nightmare, especially in the classroom when I..." he paused, shuddering at the memory.

"I think he'll be in good hands." Dumbledore reassured him. "I know she can be strict and has...high expectations but she loves him and will care for him like her own. I just hope that will be enough given..."

"Don't worry Albus." McGonagall reassured. "He'll have us, the Order, as well as the Aurors looking out for him. And if all else fails we can arrange some private lessons."

"So with all of us pitching in, he'll turn out to be a fine wizard like his parents." Moody said. "I remember the stag party we gave Frank the night before. Remember that?"

"Oh yes" Lupin replied. "We all got drunk and played that King game. I remembered when Sirius was the King: he made us waltz in fashionable dress...from the sixteenth century, while singing in falsetto."

"James was a terror too." Moody answered, smiling. "His first time he made us do the hula in grass skirts and coconut tops. His second had him poured ice water down our pants while we thanked him for the privilege. On his last time, he made us do the teapot dance."

"We always paid them back though." Lupin chuckled. "The belly dancing, the brotherly kissing...for one full minute, and the maid cosplay. I still think they cheated because they were King 4 times in a row once."

Soon after, others began adding their own stories regarding the Longbottoms: some funny, like the last days of school, and the baby showers; some heartwarming, like the birth of their children, and their wedding days; others heartbreaking, like the war, and their fallen comrades.

A few hours later, everyone, full on drink, cake, and candy, left for home save Dumbledore and Lupin. As the night went on, Lupin had become increasingly melancholic, only speaking when spoken to, and then only in short sentences.

"What's wrong Remus?" Dumbledore asked, knowing well what was wrong.

"It's Harry." Lupin answered. "I know we're supposed to celebrate the end of the war but...I can't help but think of the lives lost, including my best friends, and the closest thing I had to a son."

Understanding Lupin's feelings entirely, Dumbledore nodded solemnly. Then, hesitantly, he placed a hand on Lupin's shoulder and said "Actually, I wanted to have a private talk with you about that.".

Looking up, Lupin, his eyes flushed from tears, asked "What is there to talk about?".

"Do you recognize this?" Dumbledore asked as he pulled a small pocket watch from his robes. Opening it, three hands with names labeled on them appeared: "James", "Lily", and "Harry". Around the watch's face, it showed not time but states of being such as "transit", "home", and "work". The hands labeled "James" and "Lily" were square on "dead".

On closer inspection though, Lupin realized that the hand labeled "Harry" was on "unknown but alive".

Eyes widening he jumped up and grabbed the watch, holding it to his eye, thinking a closer look would reveal some trick.

"How long have you known?!" he asked, slightly growling.

"For a few weeks Remus." Dumbledore answered. "As for why I didn't tell anyone, I simply didn't have the opportunity to do so. You remember the last few weeks. Also, I couldn't be sure if this was accurate. Countless tests have proven it is indeed accurate. Harry is alive."

Vibrating with excitement, Lupin, looking Dumbledore square in the eye, asked "Where is he?!".

"I don't know." Dumbledore replied. "That is what I want to talk to you about. The Order is disbanding. We are all going back to civilian life, so we won't have any time or energy to spare for a long search."

"But I do" Lupin interjected, realization dawning on him. "Because of the anti-werewolf hype, I won't HAVE a civilian life to go back to...so I can focus entirely on the search."

"I am prepared to fund your search from my own back account Remus." Dumbledore said, raising a hand to waylay Lupin's reply. "I know you don't like charity, but consider it payment for your trouble, and my failure."

Momentarily silent, Lupin nodded and said "I'll start in the morning and, by Merlin, I won't stop until I find him."

"Good luck my friend." Dumbledore said. "Sleep well." he added as he watched Lupin head for the guest room.

-Line Break-

Author's Notes: A little on the spelling of the spells (no pun intended): I used a simple Google Translate to change between English and Latin. I am by no means an expert on Latin, and I switched between the two considerably to get the translation to what I wanted because I found some that were not at all what I had in mind. I'll provide the spells and the translations I used, or at least aimed for below.

"Magicae translatio." Transfer Magic

"Confirma sociis nostris." Strengthen our Companions

"Dabo terram hanc magicae!" I Give Magic to the Earth

If you have ideas to improve my spells, please review.


	3. Chapter 3: Almost Family

This is an idea that I have been entertaining recently. I know that stories with a similar premise have been written so I will try to keep this as original as I can. No plagiarism intended. I do not own either Legend of Korra or Harry Potter. They belong to Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and J.K. Rowling.

-Line Break-

As the sun rose the next day, Tonraq met Vallik and ten of their best hunters at the main complex.

"You ready for this Tonraq?" Vallik asked.

"I am, and I think I have a clue." Tonraq replied as he pulled out a small pendant, the one Ryuukhan had when they found him. "I think it was a memento from his parents or guardians. Strange that they would leave it given they left him," he mused as he passed it to Vallik for inspection.

"It is distinctive." he said, turning it over. "I don't remember ever encountering this before." and he passed it to the man on his right.

"Have any of you seen this or anything like it before?" he asked to the gathered men, who shook their heads as they passed it around between them.

"In that case, we'll split up and ask the villagers if they saw or heard anything strange the night before." Vallik said. "Be thorough and try to get as specific details as possible. Once we're done with the village, we'll expand our search to the docks and the ships as well as look over the passenger lists and crew dosiers for the last few days. We'll meet back here near sunset and go over our results. Good luck" and they dispersed.

-Line Break-

Later that day, Tonraq and the others reassembled at the head complex, disappointment and confusion dancing across their faces.

"Report in." Vallik stated as he sat down at the table.

"We asked around the village and no one has any information on the whereabouts of Ryuukhan's parents." Tonraq stated solemnly. "The only possible clue was from Ta'loq, who claimed that he saw a beam of light descend from the Spirit Lights that night. Unfortunately, Ta'loq was on the other side of the village when it all happened." Vallik nodded in understanding.

"I took the liberty of writing a list of all ships and travelers that visited in the preceding days prior to our discovering Ryuukhan." Halrim, right of Tonraq, interjected. "Thankfully only three ships docked in the last two weeks in that time frame, two of which belonged to Future Industries. The third came from the Earth Kingdom, but we're unsure of their origin."

"As for their contents, all three were cargo ships so it's not inconceivable that a person or persons with a child might be missed, especially if they stayed onboard for the majority of their visit. They departed shortly before Ryuukhan was found, though this could simply be bad timing."

"Nonetheless, I feel it would be prudent for us to investigate these ships." Tonraq added.

"Contact Mr Sato as to the crew and passengers of those ships." Vallik said, nodding after a pause. "What was the cargo of the Earth Kingdom ship?"

"Mostly vegetables and some tropical fruits, along with some textiles" Halrim answered. "My guess is that they came from Zhaoshan Island in the South Sea. They are renowned for their agriculture and textile industry, and they're relatively close to our shores."

"And given their location on the Earth Kingdom's periphery the Dai Li are unlikely to have many agents there." Tonraq added. "We should contact them as soon as possible. The longer we wait the greater the risk we'll lose the trail."

"Agreed." Vallik said. "I'll contact the governor on Zhaoshan Island. Tonraq, you contact Mr Sato and ask about the passengers and crews of those ships. The rest of you provide all the support you can. Go over what we found and see if we missed anything. Also, spread pictures of Ryuukhan to the law enforcement agencies to try and see if anyone identifies him. Good luck to you all."

As they prepared to depart Vallik said "Tonraq, a moment please." Surprised, Tonraq remained standing while the others, after briefly hesitating, continued on their way.

"Sorry for keeping you Tonraq." Vallik said. "But I thought the presence of the Spirit Lights that night might be important as they have not been seen in decades...not since the war."

"Yes, I thought it was strange too." Tonraq conceded. "I doubt it's a coincidence but I don't know what to make of it."

"Do you think Unalaq might be of some help?" Vallik asked.

"I...I'm not sure." Tonraq replied, pain flashing through his eyes. "I haven't spoken with him for years, not since I...not since I came here."

"Well, perhaps you can contact him and let him know of the Spirit Lights?" Vallik suggested.

"I'll certainly look into it." Tonraq replied.

"Very well. Good night." Vallik said as Tonraq left the complex.

-Line Break-

"Well, I say it's been a very strenuous few weeks." Tonraq said as he and Harlim made their way to the head complex, the latter nodding in weary confirmation.

"Twenty-six days of correspondence with University professors, researchers, businessmen, and government officials from three different nations." Harlim sighed. "And all we've got to show for it is a bunch of hypotheses and no real proof for any of them."

"At least you got to learn a few things." Tonraq said. "My brother gave me quite a lecture regarding our tribe's spiritual apathy and disregard for our traditions. After about five whole pages of that, he finally got around to talking about the pendant and he didn't know anything about it. He couldn't even offer a hypothesis, though he did congratulate me on my new son and advise me to meditate on it. Tenzin was much the same, but then again he didn't have much time for this."

"It's gotta be tough being the sole Airbender on the planet." Harlim shrugged. "The pressure of sustaining a nation that's all but extinct must be intense. And that's not counting the need for kids."

"And there's no guarantee that the kids he does have will be Airbenders." Tonraq replied. "How many kids do you think he's gonna have?"

"I don't know, but I bet he'll want as many Airbenders as possible." Harlim answered. "The thing is Tenzin's only half Airbender. So regardless of who he marries, the odds of having an Airbender child will be lower than a non-bender or a bender of a different element. Say he marries a Firebender, then the kids will be half Firebender, a quarter Waterbender, and a quarter Airbender."

"And the odds of having an Airbender hold out for the other combinations" Tonraq added. "So either he gets really lucky, or he just has as many kids as possible. How many can he have?"

"Well if he marries a 20-year old woman and she gets pregnant every two years, then that's ten kids over a twenty-year period." Harlim answered. "Now if they have multiples, that number could go as high as twenty, thirty, or higher."

"Ten kids?!" Tonraq said. "Just two is proving to be a handful, let alone ten."

"Speaking of kids, how are yours?" Harlim asked as they crossed the threshold into the complex.

"They're both doing well." Tonraq replied, smiling at the answer. "Korra's still a little rambunctious, but at least she's toning it down so she doesn't hurt Ryuukhan. He was pretty shy around her at first but he's opened up fairly quickly. Now they're nigh-inseparable."

"Nice to hear that," Vallik said, drawing their attention to him. "but we do have business to attend to. Did you get any leads from the crew and passenger lists?"

"Regarding the Future Industries' ships I contacted Mr. Sato and he sent me the lists of passengers and crew on both of those ships." Tonraq replied. "Using those, we followed up on the people and found that the vast majority were single men in their mid-twenties to early forties, and none of them brought any children with them."

"Furthermore none of them brought any supplies that would be necessary for childcare." Halrim added. "Lastly, all of the people, their belongings, and the cargo were checked with coati-hounds and shirshu, which as you know have EXTREMELY keen noses, and nothing out of the ordinary was found."

"Besides, if someone wanted to get rid of Ryuukhan, why come all the way here to do it?" Tonraq asked. "There are far easier ways to do it, especially if they... have... no scruples."

All three grimaced at the thought of such people; although such acts were rare, especially in the peace and prosperity following the war, they still occurred.

"What of the Earth Kingdom ship?" Halrim asked, veering the conversation back on track.

"The governor at Zhaoshan Island did confirm that a ship departed for our shores in the last few weeks and its cargo matched what we received." Vallik answered. "The ship's crew was the same as the other two, all middle-aged single men with no children, but their security measures were not as tight as Future Industries'. We did talk to the captain and several crewmen, though, and they don't recall any passengers with children near the harbor when the ship was at dock. So it seems that neither Ryuukhan nor his parents were on either of those ships."

"On a separate note I contacted both Fire Lord Izumi and the Republic City Council." Tonraq said. "I thought they might have more information, but I was rather disappointed. None of the orphanages in either Republic City or the Fire Nation have any record of a child matching Ryuukhan's description, It's possible that Ryuukhan was born to refugees or fugitives, but if that's the case we have no real hope of tracking his parents."

"Simply too many to go through." Halrim confirmed. "As for the Earth Kingdom, I tried the Swampbenders but they had as much information as anyone else so far. Not to mention the sheer size of the Earth Kingdom and the current political situation means that further investigation is probably futile."

"So, what about the pendant? Any leads or hypotheses on that?"

"I tried my brother and Tenzin, but neither were of any help." Tonraq said, his head down in fatigue. "All they could offer was to keep looking. That and meditate or ask the spirits for assistance."

"I tried the Royal College in the Fire Nation as well as the universities in Omashu and Ba Sing Se." Harlim added. "All I got were a bunch of hypotheses, only one of which has any real evidence behind it. According to Professor Sho of Anthropology, the pendant resembles the pictograms left by a tribe that lived thousands of years ago on the Earth Kingdom continent. This tribe was pretty small, numbering only a few hundred or so, and their remains were rather generic, with no distinctive monuments, buildings, or ceramics. Materially, they were just local farmers."

"However, local storytellers paint a rather different picture. According to legend, they weren't benders in the traditional sense, but they were capable of incredible feats: transforming into animals, creating powerful cures and poisons in large woks, jumping from place to place instantaneously, and even reviving the dead."

"This tribe, whom archaeologists named Lán Sè Shān after the mountain their remains were found at, mysteriously disappeared long ago. There's no evidence of violence, disease, or malnutrition in the bones that remain. The sites would remain abandoned for several centuries before eventually being reoccupied, first by Waterbenders as they journeyed north to the pole, then Earthbenders as they expanded outward. Given how much time has past and how many people have visited the site, the only remains whose provenience we can be reasonable certain of are the strange pictograms left on the cave walls and on some of the ceramics near the sites, including one that resembles the pendant."

"You think Ryuukhan's parents are descendants of this Lán Sè Shān tribe?" Vallik asked, disbelief evident on his face.

"Doubtful as there's been no sign of them for millennia." Harlim replied shaking his head. "More likely they, or their friends and family, saw the pictogram and adopted it as their own. But as the site has seen the coming and going of many people for millennia, pinpointing his parents among them is virtually impossible."

"Well the deadline is nearly over." Vallik said. "So unless someone comes along in the next few days, I guess you and Senna get to adopt him. Congratulations."

"Thank you Chief" Tonraq said. "Speaking of which, I hope when the time comes you have a lovely child of your own."

Just as Vallik smiled in appreciation a messenger burst in, his face flush from worry.

"Tonraq!" he, or rather she, wheezed. "It's Ryuukhan! I was watching him and Korra when he suddenly started coughing. I placed my hand on his forehead and he's burning up! Senna's looking after him now but please hurry!"

"Thanks Halla. I'll be right there." Tonraq said as he swiftly made for the door. "In the meantime let's alert Katara as to his condition. It's probably just a minor thing, but I don't want to take any chances."

-Line Break-

Upon returning home he found Senna hovering over a child in their bed, Korra looking up from her mother's side. A moment later he heard coughing, a terrible hacking sound followed by wheezing.

'That can't be good.' he thought as he approached his wife.

"How bad is it?" he asked looking in over her shoulder.

"He's burning hot to the touch." she replied, not looking up. "He's slick with sweat and yet he's shivering. No matter how many times I bundle him up he shivers like a leaf. And there's this rasping sound when he breathes."

"That REALLY can't be good." Tonraq stated, drawing Senna's attention to him.

"Don't worry." he reassured her. "I'm sure Katara can cure him. Remember, she revived Avatar Aang after Azula struck him with lightning. And she was only 17."

"So compared to that, curing this should be child's play." a voice, soft and gentle, spoke from the door. As they turned Katara stepped through and, with a reassuring smile, made her way to the bed, a bag hanging from her shoulder.

Tonraq and Senna moved aside as Katara knelt to examine Ryuukhan, her face set in grim determination as she felt his forehead and listened to his heart and lungs. Just then, Ryuukhan began coughing again, this time with green mucus shooting out, coating his mouth and lips. A moment later, the coughing subsided to wheezing, then to normal breathing but with a rasping sound.

"When did he first show symptoms?" Katara asked as she inspected him again.

"He first developed a fever yesterday." Senna answered. "I thought he was just too tightly bundled so I loosened them but I decided to keep an eye out. This morning he started coughing, and a little later he began shivering."

"Reminds me of when Sokka and I got sick after a storm." Katara said. "To cure us, Aang had us suck on these frozen frogs." Shuddering and grimacing at the memory, she reached into her bag of supplies.

"Fortunately I have a much less nauseating solution." and she pulled out a small vial made of pale blue porcelain. "I made a medicine from the frogs' slime. It's still a little gross but better than having a frog thaw out and come to life in your mouth."

The three adults all grimaced at the mental image.

"Just mix a thimble-sized portion in his food once a day and he should do just fine." she said as she handed the vial to them. "He should recover within the week. If his symptoms persist or worsen, however, contact me as soon as possible."

Nodding in understanding, Senna turned to the kitchen where she began mixing some baby food, Katara and Tonraq remaining where they stood. After a moment she returned and began feeding Ryuukhan. Initially resilient, he soon ate his fill and his breathing become a little smoother, less noticeable.

Smiling at the improvement, Senna turned to Katara and bowed "Thank you Katara."

Bowing in return, Katara replied "You're quite welcome. Remember, contact me if something happens. Good night" and she left the hut.

Relieved Senna picked up Ryuukhan, rocking him to sleep with a lullaby.

"I think it might be prudent if we, meaning Ryuukhan and myself, were to sleep separate from you two." she said after Ryuukhan nodded off.

Tonraq, shocked at first, nodded in understanding and moved to where Korra was standing.

"Is Ryuukhan OK?" Korra asked, worry evident in her features.

"No sweetie" Tonraq answered. Kneeling down so they were at eye level. "But he'll be fine. In the meantime, we'll be sleeping in another bed so you don't get sick as well."

"Oh, OK" Korra said meekly as her father rose to get the second bed set up. She looked back to where Ryuukhan was sleeping with their mother. Although his coughing had abated and his breathing was quieter and smoother, his face was still flush and slick with sweat.

"Korra, time for bed." Tonraq said.

"OK daddy." Korra replied as she made her way to the second bed where her father waited.

"Don't worry he'll be fine." Tonraq said as Korra climbed into bed with him. "He's in the care of the best healer in the world."

Humming the lullaby Senna used earlier, Tonraq lulled Korra and himself to sleep, their dreams filled with images of Ryuukhan coughing and wheezing.

-Line Break-

Over the next few days, Ryuukhan showed steady improvement in his health: his coughing fits became fewer, dryer, and less intense, his breathing had normalized, and his shivering had ceased, allowing him to sleep more easily. His fever, though, remained high and showed no sign of abating.

Suddenly however, the coughing and wheezing returned, and his breathing became even more labored than before.

Frantic, Senna wrapped Ryuukhan in blankets while Tonraq ran to Katara's hut. Upon his arrival, he simply said "Katara, Ryuukhan's symptoms have returned, and they look worse than before."

Wasting no time, Katara swifty gathered her medical supplies and left with Tonraq, running alongside him despite her advanced age.

Upon their arrival Katara immediately began examining her patient, placing her hand on his forehead to check his fever. Almost immediately she retracted her hand as the boy felt like he was on fire. Breathing deeply, she leaned down to listen to his heart and lungs, and her worry turned to anxiety. His breathing sounded labored and forced, as if something was clogging up his lungs, and she heard a crackling sound, like firewood burning.

As she was listening, Ryuukhan began coughing again and viscous fluid flew from his mouth. Picking it up, Katara noted that it was now green tinted with red. Seeing this Katara stood up and said "I know what this is, and it's very serious."

The adults, rooted in apprehension, simply motioned for her to continue.

"It seems that Ryuukhan picked up a secondary disease called Ts'uk's Fever." she explained. "It was first identified by Ts'uk, a healer who worked on miners in damp or dusty conditions, but you can get it from someone who had it or was exposed to it beforehand. It clogs up the lungs with fluid, causing asphyxiation in the victim, which if not treated in time can be... fatal."

Breathing deeply, Senna asked "Is there a treatment?"

"Usually I'd recommend drinking lots of fluid and plenty of rest but the disease seems to have progressed beyond that. I think he caught it shortly after the first symptoms and it just took this long for us to distinguish between the diseases." Katara replied. "There are some treatments for severe cases but they are risky and... rather...controversial."

"Well... what are they?" Tonraq demanded, eyes furrowed impatiently.

"Well first I'd need to enter a few drops of water into his lungs so I can collect the fluid and draw them out via Waterbending." Katara answered. "There's a risk of him drowning or overtaxing his lungs if it doesn't work. But if done on the full moon by a master healer, it shouldn't be a problem."

"The second step is…" Katara hesitated, shame flashing across her face. Mustering herself, she breathed deeply and continued.

"The second step... is to give him new...blood to help him fight off the disease, preferably from a prior victim of the same disease. Earlier cases showed that patients receiving this treatment had a 70% higher chance of successful recovery. But in certain cases of mixing blood we experienced complications, especially if the recipient and the donor were of different nations. They developed clots in their blood, and these clots can be lethal, if they form in the wrong places."

Grimacing, she explained. "The only way to safely mix blood is to use...Bloodbending."

Senna and Tonraq, realizing the implications, widened their eyes in shock as revulsion and parental instincts battled it out inside.

Bloodbending, the art of bending the fluid inside living creatures to manipulate and control them like marionettes, had been made illegal due to its dangerous power. Katara, having experienced this power, both as puppet and puppeteer, initiated the ban in the post-war peace and had made it one of the first laws of the United Republic.

For her to contemplate using it, even to save an infant's life, was almost inconceivable. It would be comparable to Avatar Aang, the last Airbender and the last Air Nomad, willingly and gleefully committing premeditated murder.

Just then, Ryuukhan began hacking and wheezing again, his lungs fighting to draw in air. Hearing their son struggling with all he had simply to breath, they cleared their minds of all doubt and replaced it with a diamond-hard resolve. "We understand that this is a hard thing for you Lady Katara." Senna said, her hands trembling, her eyes lowered, but her voice holding steady. "We know that you do not make this decision lightly and that you are deeply ashamed by the thought of Bloodbending. But this is our son's life we are talking about. Please...please do all you can to save him." she looked up and tears were leaking down.

Sighing, Katara replied "Very well. The full moon is in two days. Prepare me a vial of blood to use in the meantime. You know who's blood to use?"

"Ours." Tonraq said. "I had the cough when I left the Northern Water Tribe. I had to make a stop in the Earth Kingdom and I caught it helping a young worker in a clinic but I recovered. Senna nursed me back to health and in the process she caught it."

"Very well." Katara nodded. "I think it would be prudent to give Korra the treatment as well. Prior studies found that this procedure can be used to help protect people from disease as well as cure them. Until the full moon, massage his chest and abdomen to loosen the fluid and ease his pain. I'll see you on the full moon." and she left for her hut.

-Line Break-

As the full moon shined from behind the clouds, Katara, carrying a medicine pack, made her way to Senna and Tonraq's hut. Inside she heard Ryuukhan, coughing and whimpering, while his parents did all they could to ease his pain. Knocking on the door, she found Tonraq ushering her into the hut. Swiftly and gracefully she began the preparations, while Tonraq and Senna, Ryuukhan crying in her arms, stood waiting and ready, brows furrowed and eyes lit with anxious hope.

Motioning toward the bed, Katara took out a blue bottle, approximately the size of her palm with a tapered neck and wide belly, and made her way over while Senna laid Ryuukhan down. Undoing the stopper, Katara then pinched her fingers together over the bottle and pulled upward, drawing some water droplets that glowed pure white.

"Spirit water." Katara explained as she rotated her hand underneath the droplets and spread her fingers, the water coalescing into a small disk. Leaning down over Ryuukhan, she twisted her hand in front of her, briefly pointed her fingers forward, and then opened them again, separating the water into two drops. Then she lowered her open hand toward Ryuukhan's face, pushing the drops down into his mouth. Though he coughed in response, Katara placed both hands on his chest and and drew downwards, her fingers spreading wide and eyes closed in concentration. Then she briefly pushed upward toward his mouth, then drew downward again.

Suddenly her hands slowed to a stop, then, with great grace and deliberation, she rotated her hands outward and began pushing up slowly but surely, causing Ryuukhan to wince slightly in response. Katara then turned her hands so her palms pointed toward Ryuukhan's face, then pulled up from his mouth. A moment later a large drop of mucus tainted with blood emerged encapsulated within her spirit water.

Taking the droplet Katara grabbed a small wok and, pressing her hands together, squeezed the mucus and blood from the drop, the excretions falling into the wok, leaving the water clear. With a quick breath, Katara returned to her patient and inserted the water into his lungs once more.

A few minutes, and several excretions later, Katara pressed her hands toward each other, then pulled them apart again while spreading her fingers, transforming the drops into mist. Holding the mist over Ryuukhan's mouth, she waited as he inhaled the water into his lungs. Katara then pressed her fingers onto his chest and began slowly moving her hands up and down, gently massaging as she went. Soon after, she listened to Ryuukhan's breathing..and smiled as it became smoother, easier, and quieter.

"Now for the..second task." she said as she turned to her medicine bag and brought it to the center of the room. After setting the bottle of spirit water aside, she opened the bag and rummaged for the rest of her materials.

First she took out a whale bone bowl engraved with alternating patterns of black and white, reminiscent of the Moon and Ocean spirits. Along the edge of the bowl, the four elements, fire, air, water, and earth were engraved into the bowl at south, east, north, and west respectively, representing the cycle of the elements, and of the world in general.

Next she removed two seal blubber candles: one was pure black with a silver holder while the other was pure white with a gold holder. Placing these to the left and right of the bowl, she then took out a small, square, white porcelain burner, decorated with paintings of bright blue flowers, pale gold koi, and blood-red dragons. The lid, white with dark blue streaks, was carved into the likeness of a lion-turtle, with the head facing her, clawed feet at the corners, and the turtle's back housing a large tree in the center.

Finally she removed a short black knife and placed it before the bowl. The stone knife was pure black with a glassy sheen, a bone handle, and had a uniquely sharp blade that never chipped or dulled, making it perfect for the upcoming task.

Without delay, Katara opened the burner and set the incense contained within alight. Soon, white and grey smoke, smelling of cedar wood, cypress trees, and carnation flowers, floated from the burner. Then she lit the candles, dark blue smoke with a scent of juniper blossoms rising from the black, and pale pinkish, smoke with a fragrance like cherry blossoms from the white.

Inhaling deeply, Katara, extending her hand to Senna and Tonraq, asked "The vials please".

With the vials in hand, Katara removed the stoppers and poured the blood into the bowl, where they began to swirl counterclockwise as she twirled her fingers, breathing deeply and steadily.

After a brief pause, Katara strode to Ryuukhan and, with a little aid from Senna, cut into his palm with the knife, causing him to cry in pain. Pulling up with her fingers pinched together, Katara drew some of Ryuukhan's blood, and, with a gentle wave of her arm, added his blood, and some fresh spirit water, to the bowl.

As the blood and water swirled, the bowl began to glow softly, first a bright reddish, then bright orange, then a bright gold color. The characters on the bowl also began glowing, blue for water, green for earth, red for fire, and gray for air. Meanwhile the incense transitioned towards a fragrance predominantly of pine, with a subtle hint of peppermint and nutmeg.

"The child please." Katara asked, prompting Senna forward. As Senna held Ryuukhan steady, his cut palm held firmly but gently in place, Katara pulled up her right hand and drew some of the blended blood from the bowl. Rotating her hand under the blood, she coalesced the mixture into a small sphere and gently pushed the sphere toward Ryuukhan's hand, pressing the sphere into the open cut where it mixed with his blood.

Breathing deeply, Katara drew her hand across Ryuukhan's arm toward his heart then, using both hands in tandem, spread the mixture around his body, her right pulling toward his head and her left down his legs.

Breathing deeply, she returned to his cut palm and repeated the motions, thrice chanting "Yue and La, please hear our request. Allow this child's blood to mix so that he may live.".

As she did so, the incense changed again to a mixture of lilac and lotus, with a subtle hint of sea salt. The candles also changed their scents: the black becoming a strong lavender and the white a potent frankincense. As the scents transitioned, to everyone's surprise, Ryuukhan's veins began glowing a faint red.

"It's alright." Katara reassured Senna. "It means it's working. The spirits heed our call."

Breathing deep, Katara then reached for her spirit water and, with an upward pull of her hand, her fingers pinching together, a stream of water, roughly four feet long, emerged from the bottle. Bringing her right hand under her left, palms facing one another, she rotated her hands before pulling her right hand away, drawing the stream toward Ryuukhan. As the stream made contact with his body, she began moving her hands in a clockwise motion above him, encircling the toddler and cradling him in a ring of water.

Katara then brought her hands together as though asking for a handout, pooling the water underneath Ryuukhan's body. Then she pulled her hands apart and up to her sides, encompassing all of Ryuukhan's body, save his mouth and nose, in water.

Breathing deeply, she clasped her hands together and said "Spirits, I invoke your help. Complete the task."

The water then glowed a bright white, temporarily blinding everyone, before dying down, leaving Ryuukhan soaked but otherwise fine.

Breathing deeply, Katara dried him with a flick of her hands as she inhaled the last of the incense, which took on a scent of chamomile and benzoin resin. The candles too had burned out, the last flames producing red smoke with a scent of apple blossoms from the black and yellow smoke carrying the scent of bayberry from the white.

As the smoke dissipated Katara turned her attention to Ryuukhan and felt his chest and forehead. Smiling she turned to Senna and Tonraq and said "Spirits be praised. His lungs are cleared and well on the way to recovery. His fever has gone down significantly, and his heart is perfectly normal. So he'll be fine with enough rest and fluids."

Relieved, Senna took Ryuukhan back to bed while Tonraq stayed to help Katara clean up. As they packed the holders and the incense burner, Tonraq said "Thank you for your help. I know it was a very difficult task...but you saved our son's life."

"Do not worry about it Tonraq." Katara replied, smiling gently. "Saving an innocent life was more than worth it."

As the last materials were safely packed away, Katara looked up and said "Tonraq, one more thing. In case anything happens let me know immediately."

Tonraq, surprise, worry, and dread in his eyes, asked "Katara, what do you mean? Do you mean he could get sick again?"

"No, not illness." Katara reassured him. "Past treatments have shown that successful attempts often leave the patient with greater resilience against disease in general, with recipients able to enter disease-ridden areas and remain quite healthy. Some have speculated that some specific component in the donor's blood is responsible. Others think the spirits presence imparts a lasting protection upon the recipient. I don't know the details but I'm sure your son will grow up strong and healthy."

"However, when this technique is applied to children and infants, sometimes they develop traits from the donor such as height or weight." she explained. "In one case, an Earth Kingdom child received blood from a Water Tribe merchant and the child in question developed a shorter, stockier build than their parents or siblings. In another, a baby with green eyes received blood from a bespectacled donor, and she later required glasses for reading, which was never seen in her family beforehand. We're still not sure why this happens, though it's speculated that...hereditary instructions, a...manual of sorts...we receive from our parents, somehow mix with that of the donor's and the child's development reflects this. Others think the blood acts as a conduit for the spirit of the donor to influence the child somehow."

"For the most part, these changes, if they do occur, do not usually impact health or well-being." Katara continued as she closed the medicine pack and stood to depart. "As far as I know there are only two scenarios where these changes do cause problems: the first is that the traits are frowned upon, such as certain pockets of the Earth Kingdom that still haven't forgiven the Fire Nation. The second is when the donor has some hidden medical conditions, such as food allergies or a weak heart. But since both you and Senna are perfectly healthy, and fully accepted members of our Tribe, I doubt there will be any thing to worry. But all the same, don't be afraid to call."

Nodding in understanding, Tonraq opened the door as she departed and said "I'll keep your advice in mind. Good night Katara."

"Good night Tonraq" Katara returned, giving a slight bow before departing for home.

As he watched her depart, Tonraq briefly pondered over Katara's words. 'We WILL be on the lookout' he resolved as he closed the door and headed for the bedroom. While Senna and Ryuukhan were fully sound asleep, Korra was sitting on the spare bed wide awake, her eyes furrowed in worry.

"Korra, you alright?" Tonraq asked as he carefully sat down.

"Yeah I guess." Korra responded, her head low.

"Then why do you look so..distressed?" he asked, causing Korra to look up in confusion. "It means sad or upset."

Nodding in understanding, Korra replied "I'm happy Ryuukhan's going to get well. It's just...we all used to sleep together. Now it's just Ryuukhan and mommy, and that...makes me feel...kinda mad."

"It's jealousy you're feeling Korra." Tonraq said, causing Korra to look up again in confusion. "It means someone else has something you want, and you want to hurt them for it."

"But..but...but…" Korra stuttered, looking up in shock and fear at the thought. "I don't want to hurt him."

"It's alright Korra." Tonraq reassured. "I know you won't hurt him. And don't worry, this won't last long. Once he's well, it'll be back to the good old days. Now let's go to sleep."

"OK" Korra said, laying down next to her father as he settled into the second bed. Soon she and her father were asleep, dreaming of healthy, happy times.

-Line Break-

Thanks for all your help and encouragement. Sorry for the long wait but I hope it was all worth it. Consider this my gift to you for the Holidays.

A quick note on some reviews: Ryuukhan will be a bender, and I will be going into how that is later on. There will be no slash because I'm not into that, but I will have something for Mako. And, as of now, the Goblet will play a role later in the story. I know it's been done a LOT but I'm having a hard time figuring out another mechanism for bringing him back. Perhaps the Spirit World but that's also pretty cliche and I don't know how that would work. Maybe a combination of the two? Please keep reviewing.

As for the next chapter, I'm going to give Ryuukhan an animal familiar, but I'm torn between using an established animal like June's Shirshu in the first series, or an original animal. Please let me know which you prefer.


	4. Chapter 4: Ten Years Later

This is an idea that I have been entertaining recently. I know that stories with a similar premise have been written so I will try to keep this as original as I can. No plagiarism intended. I do not own either Legend of Korra or Harry Potter. They belong to Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and J.K. Rowling.

Some of this has dialogue from The Legend of Korra TV series and the short comic Friends for Life. I have marked the dialogue in italics.

-Line Break-

Ryuukhan and Korra stood 10 feet away from each other, wearing red, armored tunics with gold trim and grey-blue pants, helmets protecting their heads. Korra's blue eyes locked onto Ryuukhan's green, both taking up defensive poses, waiting for one to make their move.

Suddenly, Ryuukhan threw out a fireball, but Korra simply batted it away and followed it up with another fireball. Ryuukhan, unperturbed, simply dove to the side, tumbled, and launched another fire attack as he righted himself. Korra responded by twisting out of the way, using the opportunity to send a fire-whip at Ryuukhan's face.

Thinking quickly Ryuukhan sent out a fireball, dissipating the attack, then, with a sweeping kick, sent fire at Korra's feet like a scythe. Seeing this Korra jumped...only to see a large fireball coming at her face. Batting it away, she looked down to strike back...only to stare in confusion as Ryuukhan had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Ryuukhan had used the opportunity to get himself around Korra's left flank and launch himself up using fire-jets from his hands to boost his speed. Once he was in position, he launched a massive fire-bloom at her back.

The attack hit Korra square in the back, sending her carrening to the ground but Korra was able to maintain consciousness and tumbled on her landing, breaking her fall with only a few bruises to show for it.

Ryuukhan, seeing his chance, started another barrage of fireballs, hitting Korra square in the ribs and knocking her across the field. Seizing the initiative, Ryuukhan kicked out, sending a second barrage of fireballs before running to the right, aiming to attack her from the side once again.

But Korra countered by launching a large fire-bloom at him, forcing him to put up his defenses, crossing his arms before spreading them out, extinguishing the fire. Ryuukhan, being smaller and lighter, found himself being pushed back despite his defense. Korra, seeing his predicament, launched a one-two fireball combination while running to close the distance. Just as he looked up, he batted the first fire-ball away but the second hit him square in the face, the face plating protecting him from burns. Staggering, he tried to reestablish his guard but Korra had reached him and opened with a punch to his jaw, followed by a fire uppercut and finished with a roundhouse kick to his gut, sending him flying across the courtyard.

"Time!" a White Lotus sentry shouted. "Ryuukhan is unable to continue. Korra wins." ending the sparring match. Hearing this, Korra made her way to her brother as he picked himself up. "Looks like I just pulled ahead." she said playfully, extending a hand out for him.

"That's what you said last week and look how long that lasted." Ryuukhan countered as he pulled himself up.

"I still beat you." Korra replied lamely.

Just as Ryuukhan was about to retort, a voice broke through. "You are both doing well in your bending. Korra, Ryuukhan you've both excelled in the physical aspects of bending, ever since you were children."

At that statement, both chuckled as memories flashed through their heads.

-Line Break-

Korra, only four years old, was waiting outside the house, her parents and little brother inside entertaining the White Lotus members.

" _The White Lotus has honored my family by coming. Thank you."_ her father said.

" _Welcome."_ her mother, holding her brother in her arms, said a few moments later, followed by a shield clattering onto the floor.

" _We have investigated many claims, both here and in the Northern Tribe."_ she heard a man say. _"All have turned out to be false."_

" _Then you should be happy to know, your search has come to an end."_ her mother replied.

" _What makes you so sure your daughter is the one?"_ the man asked, disbelief and impatience evident in his voice.

" _Korra! Please come in here!"_ she mother said.

'That's my cue!' Korra thought as he sprang into action, kicking the side of the hut across the room. With everyone's eyes on her she yelled _"I'm the Avatar! You gotta deal with it!"_ , her fist in the air.

She then proceeded to demonstrate three of the elements for everyone to see, starting with fire, first as a bloom then as a ball. Then earth, lifting a tile half a foot higher and sending the three visitors back a few paces. Then she sent another blast of fire, catching the bearded man's robes on fire which he promptly extinguished with water from a some puddle on the floor.

Korra finished up her little show first by bending water from the floor into the air with her left hand, followed by sending a chunk of rock flying with her right, then ending up with a fire-bloom to her front.

With her demonstration finished, Korra straightened herself up and bowed to the three visitors, their eyes wide open in astonishment.

-Line Break-

Ryuukhan, almost five, was watching Korra practicing her Waterbending with Gran-Gran, ahem, **Shifu** Katara. He always loved it when she came to visit: she always had such wonderful stories to tell them: the War; the Last Airbender; their journey around the world; the foundation of Republic City; and so many others.

Alas, today she was here to train Korra in Waterbending while Ryuukhan had been practicing his Firebending. He smiled as he remembered his first time Firebending a few months ago: he was bored, watching his sister and one of the White Lotus trainers practicing their katas. Thinking that it seemed like fun, he started to imitate them, though his movements were slower and sloppier than theirs. As they were reaching the end of the kata, Ryuukhan punched forward and a small ball of fire erupted from his fist.

Transfixed by his success, Ryuukhan tried again but to no avail. He tried punching multiple times, but all he got was tired and frustrated. In desperation he tried going through the kata again and punched out, grunting in frustration. To his surprise he got a bigger fireball than before. He smiled in triumph, only to panic as he saw the fire catch unto the building and he could not put it out.

Fortunately for him, his grunting had attracted the attention of Korra and her teacher and, seeing the fire, they extinguished it with ease.

"Well young man." the White Lotus teacher, tall, thin with gray hair and piercing gold eyes, said. "It seems you possess Firebending. If you want to practice then you may join us. But…" he said seeing Ryuukhan smile at the thought. "I will NOT tolerate any tomfoolery in my classes. Understood" he warned, looking Ryuukhan in the eye.

"Yes shifu." Ryuukhan replied, bowing in respect.

"Very well. I am Shifu Chiu, and we'll start with the basics." Chiu said as they made their way into the training grounds.

'Shifu Chiu has been a great teacher.' Ryuukhan thought. 'I'm even better than Korra sometimes. But...I'm just a Firebender. She's the Avatar.'

As his attention drifted back to the Waterbending lesson, he decided to try their kata this time. Seeing a bucket of water near the entrance to the training ground he made his way there. 'It's not like anything will happen.' he thought and he began moving his arms in tandem to theirs.

At first... nothing happened.

Disappointed, Ryuukhan tried again and... nothing happened.

Taking a deep breath to relax himself, he tried a third time...and watched in shock as he pulled a small stream of water up from the bucket.

It quickly broke down and fell back in but Ryuukhan kept staring in awe.

A few minutes, and one deep breath later, he tried again and again the water pulled out from the bucket but it didn't reach as high as before. Still, elated at his achievement he looked back at Korra and Katara…

...and found them staring at him in incredulity. Then a thought ran through his mind:

'Was the Waterbending actually them?'

"Ryuukhan, were you...Waterbending?" Katara asked, breaking that train of thought.

"I...I was just...playing around." he stammered. "I was bored and Shifu Chiu had concluded our lessons for today so I…"

"It's alright Ryuukhan." Katara said, holding her hand up. "You're not in trouble. I was just...surprised. Only the Avatar can bend more than one element, and never has there been more than one Avatar."

Frowning in thought, Ryuukhan pondered over her words…

...then he said "You said only the Avatar can bend more than one element, right?"

With her nod, he continued "And we've established that Korra is the Avatar, right?"

Nodding again, he finished with "Then what does that make me?"

Frowning in thought for a moment, Katara, smiling weakly, replied with "A person with a very important role to play. You just need to find out what that role is."

Katara then extended her hand to Ryuukhan, beaconing him to follow. "In the meantime, let's practice Waterbending together, shall we?"

-Line Break-

"In fact, you two have sometimes learned bending faster than we can teach you." the White Lotus leader, a man with gray hair and a full beard, continued, breaking their reverie. "In just ten years, you have made great strides in three of the elements. But, you two have completely ignored the spiritual side."

"We haven't ignored it." Korra replied, as she removed her helmet. "It just...doesn't come as easily to us. But maybe that's all the more reason to start training with Tenzin. _He's Mr Spiritual!_ "

"Don't get ahead of yourselves." the leader said. "It may be just the opposite. Perhaps your limited spirituality is what is hindering your abilities. Perhaps you should take a break from your training and focus on spiritual matters."

"With all due respect, Shifu Hui." Ryuukhan interjected. "Airbending is the most spiritual of all the arts. So by training under Tenzin, we'd be doing both at the same time. So therefore we should start training under Tenzin as soon as possible."

The White Lotus masters pondered this for a moment, before one of them, a middle-aged woman with a bob cut and strong features in her face and arms, said "You may have a point there."

"But.." she said as Ryuukhan and Korra looked ready to celebrate. "That matter will be up to Master Tenzin, and he will not arrive for some time. In the meantime, how about you brush up on your other elements, namely air, water, and earth."

At this both Ryuukhan and Korra jumped for joy in celebration...before awkwardly clearing their throats and said, bowing, _"Thank you all for believing in us."_

As the White Lotus members dispersed, Shifu Hui and Katara stayed behind as Korra and Ryuukhan gave each other a thumbs up in celebration. "Now if you're done celebrating, we're going to brush up on your Water- and Earthbending." Shifu Hui said.

Hearing this, both Ryuukhan and Korra stood up and gave their full attention to their teachers.

"Get into your Water stances." Katara said, prompting Korra and Ryuukhan to spread their feet shoulder-width apart with their arms in front, their palms facing forward.

"Good." Katara smiled as she pulled her arm across her chest, pulling a stream of water in front of her. "Now I'm going to send this water to you, Korra, and I want you to return it to me. Then I'll do the same with Ryuukhan. Ready?"

As the two nodded, Katara pushed her hands toward Korra, sending the water stream to her. Korra, stepping back with her left foot, bent her arms in a circle, spinning the water in front of her, before pushing outward, returning the water back to Katara.

Katara mirrored the motion and received the water, briefly forming it into a sphere, before pushing it toward Ryuukhan. Ryuukhan, breathing deep, mirrored Korra's motion fluidly and received the water before sending it back to Katara.

After a few more times, Katara moved on to having them draw the water out by themselves and practice the water whip, using a straw-filled dummy that Shifu Hui retrieved while they were practicing. Korra was a natural, but Ryuukhan missed the first couple of times before he got it spot on.

"Very good." Katara said. "You've been practicing. Now for the octopus form." and with that she threw two buckets of water at her pupils. Spinning in place, they redirected the water to their feet then, pulling their arms up, they formed the water into globules before splitting them into eight tentacles.

Katara then opened up with a barrage of water-based attacks, from icicles to water whips to arcs running along the ground like scythes. Korra and Ryuukhan found themselves having to fight off a barrage of attacks from multiple directions, often having two attacks reaching them at the same time.

To compensate, they used their side tentacles to absorb the attacks before integrating them into their water supply and counterattacking. Korra had effortlessly absorbed all of the icicles and even captured Katara's water whip before freezing her front right tentacle solid to block the incoming scythes. With the break in the attacks, Korra changed the water in two of her tentacles into drills and attacked Katara, one from her high right and the other from her low left.

Katara simply intercepted the water drills into her supply...only to find Korra had frozen the water drills and her own tentacles, leaving her temporarily defenseless. Seeing her opening, Korra attacked with a barrage of icicles…

...only to see Katara spin out of the way and bring her remaining tentacles up to intercept them. As she did so, she melted the frozen water and incorporated them into her supply, fortifying her position. Korra, having little of her supply left, had no choice but to wait for Katara to attack her.

Ryuukhan, meanwhile, had managed to block the scythes and the water whips, but his tentacles grew weaker and thinner under the barrage. Soon his tentacles had been reduced to orbs barely wider than his hands. With his defenses compromised, more and more of Katara's attacks managed to hit, cutting his arms and hands.

Seeing his defenses crumbling, Katara sent out a final wave along the ground...

...only for Ryuukhan to sweep down, drawing the water up and conglomerate with his own orbs.

Exhaling slowly, Ryuukhan elongated the orbs into icicles and sent them flying toward Katara...

...who easily intercepted and integrated the icicles into her water supply. However, as she was readying her counterattack, Ryuukhan launched a second attack which penetrated her defense and nearly hit her.

Alas, this lapse of attention gave Katara the perfect opening: she simply froze his leg to the ground with a simple flick of her hands.

With Korra low on water and Ryuukhan's mobility compromised, Katara held out her hands and said "Alright I think we've had enough. You've both done well, but you could do much better.".

Spinning her hands clockwise, she began collecting the water toward her as she took in her disciples. Turning first to Korra she said "Korra you need to start thinking more tactically. You seem to simply go with the flow instead of following a plan. While this can be effective, against a Waterbending Master, it is folly. Learn to think ahead and anticipate what your opponent will do. The best hunter does not merely react: they act."

As Korra nodded her understanding, Katara then turned to Ryuukhan, melting the ice from his leg.

"Ryuukhan, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. If I was serious, I could have killed you with that icicle attack or the attack up your leg. Also, if the fight had gone on long enough, you could have passed out from fatigue or blood loss, giving me the advantage. The best hunter never loses sight of their surroundings."

Ryuukhan merely nodded in acknowledgement as the last of the water collected toward Katara.

"For now, let's do some stretching to cool down before I leave you to Shifu Hui." Katara said, stretching her hands up into the air, Ryuukhan and Korra following suit.

A few minutes later, Shifu Hui had arrived, two mid-size boulders levitating alongside her, just as Katara, Korra, and Ryuukhan had finished stretching.

"Alright you two!" Shifu Hui yelled. "Enough of that softness and breath schmuck. Time for some real work! Get into your earth stances and try hurling these boulders at me!"

Taking a deep stance, Korra and Ryuukhan punched their left hands toward the boulders, palms out with three fingers curled halfway to the palm and the pointers and thumbs pointing upward, their right arms parallel to the ground at waist level. The boulders flew out at Shifu Hui, who simply imitated their movements and stopped the boulders dead in their tracks.

"Nice." she said. "Now try levitating them off the ground and kicking them at me." and with a single punch, she sent the boulders back to her disciples.

Stopping them with a single outward palm, Korra and Ryuukhan each stomped their back foot so it landed close to their front foot, causing the boulder to levitate off the ground. Then with a single kick, they sent their boulder flying at Shifu Hui, who simply stopped the boulders cold with her fist as before.

"Good." she said. "Now try levitating the boulder and holding it in place for fifteen seconds before firing it at me."

Nodding, both Korra and Ryuukhan repeated their stomping motion before, but this time, the boulder simply floated in the air in front of them. After a few seconds, the boulders began to wobble and shake, threatening to fall under gravity. Korra steadied hers after taking a deep breath and flicking her fingers out in front, pointing them at the boulder.

Ryuukhan's, on the other hand, continued to wobble despite his best efforts. At the eight second mark, the boulder went from wobbling to shaking, and Ryuukhan began sweating under the strain of keeping the boulder airborne. After flicking his fingers like Korra's a third time, Ryuukhan finally gave out at the eleven second mark, collapsing to one knee as the boulder crashed to the ground while Korra's remained airborne.

Meanwhile Korra, as the fifteen second mark arrived, launched her boulder at Shifu Hui...who easily stopped the boulder cold and held it in midair with barely any effort.

"Eleven seconds Ryuukhan." Shifu Hui said. "Longer than previous attempts, but not enough. You're too tense. You have too much positive jing. You need more neutral jing, more patience. I want you to meditate. Focus on remaining still and listening to your surroundings with your eyes closed. I also want you to practice your Earthbending techniques for at least four hours a week."

"Yes Sifu Hui." he answered, bowing slightly.

"And Korra." she continued, drawing Korra's attention to her. "Excellent work though your technique could use some improvement. Practice and meditate alongside your brother."

"Yes Sifu Hui." she replied, bowing slightly.

"Very well let's do some warm-up exercises, then we'll practice levitation again before I turn you back over to Sifu Katara." Shifu Hui said as she levitated both boulders and returned them back to her disciples.

-Line Break-

After nearly an hour of training under Sifu Hui and Katara, Korra and Ryuukhan decided to do a little Airbending practice...or rather Ryuukhan practiced while Korra watched and imitated him.

For some reason, Airbending came almost naturally to Ryuukhan, creating winds and sometimes miniature twisters fairly easily, whereas Korra struggled to get even a light breeze.

The White Lotus attributed this disparity to their differing strategies in combat: Korra preferred to stonewall attacks whereas Ryuukhan favored dodging. As such, they struggled in different aspects of bending: Korra struggled with Air while Ryuukhan toiled on Earth.

However, the siblings turned this into an advantage by tutoring each other in their respective weaknesses. Ryuukhan advised Korra to try viewing air as a thinner version of water: both possessed pressure and currents and preferred to flow around obstacles instead of bowling through them. With this in mind, Korra began to improve in Airbending, becoming capable of generating small gusts of wind, but it was still the most difficult element for her to master.

For Ryuukhan, Korra suggested that he tried thinking of earth as a thicker version of water: both possessing mass and volume, and the propensity for absorbing hits rather than avoiding them. With this in mind, Ryuukhan began improving in Earthbending, becoming capable of lifting small rocks and levitating them with little issue, but he struggled with larger ones.

Then they heard someone, or something, chattering at high speed. A short while later, the chattering turned out to be someone speaking very quickly. They soon realized it was the one thing guaranteed to get under even the most patient parents' skin.

The dreaded: "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

Looking up they saw a Sky Bison, presumably carrying the source of the chattering, flying above them. As it approached, it made a u-turn and landed near in the courtyard. Smiling wide in anticipation, they ran toward the Sky Bison to greet their new guests: Tenzin, the sole Airbending Master in the world, and his family.

" _Yes Ikki, as I have been telling you for the last fifteen minutes we are...finally here."_ they heard Tenzin say as they arrived. Soon they saw two young girls in yellow shirts, topped with orange shawls, and brown pants ride down the bison's tail on balls of spinning air. Tenzin, clad in similar clothes, walked down the bison's tail, stopping to assist a young woman and a two-year old boy down from the saddle.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tenzin turned and locked eyes with Korra and Ryuukhan, who soon bowed in greeting.

"Korra, Ryuukhan, so good to see you again." Tenzin said, returning the greeting. "You've grown so much since I last saw you two. Allow me to introduce Pema, my wife, our daughters Jinora and Ikki, and our son, Meelo." he continued motioning to the woman, the girls riding the air spheres, and the child in her arms. Like Tenzin, she was dressed in Air Nomad clothes, with yellow robes, a green shawl across her shoulders, and a red sash topping it all. Unlike Tenzin, she had a full head of hair, brown with the lower edge a slight shade lighter. Her child, Meelo, hearing his name, looked up from her arms and looked at Ryuukhan and Korra.

"Good to see you too Tenzin." they responded. "And so pleased to meet you Pema." Ryuukhan added, bowing in greeting, Korra quickly following suit. Pema smiled and returned the greeting.

"So good to see you too." a voice called out from the complex. As they turned, Katara, the source of the voice, crossed over and looked over Tenzin and Pema, smiling warmly.

"Hello mother, this is Meelo." Tenzin said. "Say hello Meelo."

"Hello." Meelo said, prompting Katara to smile at her grandson.

"So.." Korra began, unsure of how to proceed. "Now that we all know each other, shall we get down to training?"

"Not yet Korra." Tenzin said. "We've just been through a long trip and we would like some rest first."

"Oh...ok." Korra said, slightly disappointed at the delay. "Umm...would you or Pema like some tea?" she asked, hoping to change the topic.

"That would be very appreciated. Ikki, Jinora, come along." Tenzin said, and they all made their way to the dining hall.

-Line Break-

"That was delicious." Tenzin said after a small meal.

"Thank you." Katara responded as she moved to collect the dishes. "Don't worry Tenzin I've got it." she added when she saw Tenzin move to collect the plates.

"You sure you don't need a hand?" he asked as Katara made her way to the kitchen.

"I'm sure. Besides…you need to arrange things with Korra and Ryuukhan." she answered before entering the kitchen.

"So you wanna spend the night here and then start training in the morning?" Ryuukhan asked, eager to get started.

"That would be a good idea." Tenzin responded, prompting Korra and Ryuukhan to smile gleefully. "However, I fear our training may have to be cut...short."

Hearing that, the siblings looked over, crestfallen. "What? You're not staying? Why not?" Korra asked, shocked and disappointed.

"It's not you or Ryuukhan, it's...it's Republic City." Tenzin answered. "Things are becoming more unstable. _And as one of its leaders, I have an obligation to the city._ "

"But...with all due respect…"Ryuukhan replied. "You also have an obligation to us. I mean...we'd be more than happy to find another Airbending Master but...they're an endangered species at this time. No offense." he added quickly.

Tenzin, more than a little miffed at this, simply said "None taken. And I'm very sorry but the bulk of your Airbending training will have to wait."

Then Korra got a gleam in her eye and said excitedly "Wait a minute. If you can't bring the Master to the disciple, bring the disciple to the Master!"

Ryuukhan, catching her excitement, smiled and said "It's perfect!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Ikki yelled out in joy as Jinora smiled and nodded.

"Absolutely not!" a voice yelled out, the White Lotus master, as he walked into the dining area. "You're not ready! Ryuukhan, you're just ten years old! And Korra, you're not that much older. Avatar Aang tasked us with the responsibility of keeping you safe until you've mastered the elements."

"And believe me you've done a great job and we understand that but…" Korra replied. "I don't think keeping us locked up here in this compound like prisoners is what he had in mind."

"Besides, how can we bring balance to the world if we've never seen it before?" she asked, causing both men to shift uncomfortably. "Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning." and she left, followed soon by Ryuukhan, who gave a quick downcast look in apology for his sister.

-Line Break-

"Korra! Korra!" Ryuukhan called as he followed her from the dining room. Despite his efforts, Korra ignored him, making her way out of the main building, across the courtyard, to the stables. Realizing her intent, he quickened his pace, managing to reach the stables at the same time as her.

"It's time we took Naga out for a walk." she said as she saddled Naga up and hopped on. Seeing him nod in agreement, Korra pulled her brother up behind her and began trotting across the courtyard to the gate. "Just taking Naga out for a walk." she called to the sentry above them. Nodding brusquely, he opened the gate and Korra started Naga at a light trot around the compound.

Korra always loved these walks: the simple, pure color of the polar ice, the frosty breeze, the sheer openness of the wild. It helped her to relax time to think, time to think about everything and nothing.

The past. The future. Her duties as the Avatar.

Her teachers. Her family.

Her brother.

"Ryuukhan, you feeling okay?" she asked, breaking up the silence. "You seemed pretty bummed out from training earlier."

"I'm fine." he replied. "It's just that I'm still having trouble with waterbending and earthbending, even after all this time. I've made progress but not as much as you have."

"That's okay." she reassured. "I'm still having trouble with airbending. Of course, the fact that Tenzin's not really available doesn't help."

"It's not just that." he said. "It's also that it feels more exhausting for me to do earth and water. Fire is pretty straightforward. But when I try water or earth I get tense and fatigued faster than you do. You can levitate boulders far longer and easier than I can, and when you do waterbending, you don't need to focus on keeping the water steady."

"But for me, my arms and legs grow tired faster and I need to concentrate more on bending the element." he continued. "Moreover, my right arm seems stronger somehow. It doesn't get tired as quickly or as easily as my other limbs. Has that ever happened to you before?"

"My limbs always do that when I learn a new technique or element." she replied. "But it usually gets better after a few weeks. What about you?"

"It gets easier, but the fatigue and pain are still there." he replied. "And it's always the right that does best. Do you think something's wrong with me? Should I ask Katara?"

"Probably wouldn't hurt" she answered, then looked up and saw the sun low on the horizon. "We'll ask when we get back." and she turned Naga toward the compound.

'Too bad Hina's still worn out from earlier.' she thought sadly as she turned about and headed back to the compound. 'She'd love it out here. Oh well. There's always next time.'

-Line Break-

Upon their return Korra led Naga to the stables and began brushing her fur down while Ryuukhan headed to the kitchen to grab some meat and fish for her dinner even as Naga began gulping water down from the troughs.

After ensuring Naga was fed and watered, Ryuukhan and Korra made their way to the dining area and were met with Tenzin and the White Lotus Leader, their faces downcast. Realizing this boded ill for their training, Korra asked "Did something happen?"

"Yes I'm afraid it did." Tenzin replied. "Reports have just come in from Republic City. Triad violence and robbery for the most part, with some murder and rape cases scattered among them. And those, I fear, are just those the police know about."

"So I guess you're going to be heading back to Republic City in the morning?" Korra said, though it was less a question than a request for confirmation.

"Yes I'm afraid I am." Tenzin sighed. "I'll have to leave first thing in the morning, so we'll only have time for a brief lesson in Airbending tonight and one meditation session. I'm sorry but it's all we can do."

"Alright." Korra said. "Ready when you are."

"Very well. Follow me." Tenzin replied and led them out to the courtyard.

"Now from what I can tell you two have been practicing Airbending for some time now." he said as Ryuukhan and Korra stood opposite from him.

At their nods, he continued "Then I won't spend too much time with the basics. Instead I want you to practice your skills at evasion. First a demonstration. Attack me...any element will do."

Hearing this, Ryuukhan hesitated but Korra took the first strike, sending a fireball straight at Tenzin...who simply pirouetted on one heel, twisting out of the way.

"Come on you two." he commanded. "Attack me all at once."

This time, neither hesitated and launched a fury of fireballs at Tenzin…

...and missed. He wasn't hit, nor was he even singed. He simply twisted and turned out of the way, often at a moment's notice. To their amazement, Tenzin's movements were not just limited to pirouettes and turns. He incorporated flips, one-handed stands, splits, and other acrobatic movements that left them stunned at his prowess.

After a few minutes of non-stop attacks, both Korra and Ryuukhan, low on breath, ceased their attempts. Tenzin stood himself straight, dusted himself off, and said "Now it's my turn. Don't try to imitate all my moves. Just focus on evasion."

With that, Tenzin began launching a flurry of wind and spheres of spinning air at his disciples. Immediately, Ryuukhan and Korra responded by bobbing and weaving around the attacks. Initially, both performed very well, with Korra only receiving a few clips to her shoulders every now and then while Ryuukhan evaded all of them.

After two minutes, though, Korra, tired of playing dodgeball, decided to counterattack with a fireball...and wound up getting knocked back by a spinning air sphere. She bounced across the courtyard for a few yards before skidding to a stop.

Furious, she tried attacking again...and got a gust of wind to the face, knocking her back again.

"Enough" Tenzin said. "We've done enough for tonight. A quick review. Korra, Ryuukhan, you're both superb at evasion, but you both could improve. Korra, you need more patience and more planning. If you had planned your movements better you could have taken me out. Ryuukhan, you need to start counterattacking instead of simply dodging all the time."

"Yes Shifu Tenzin" they said in understanding.

"Now time for some meditation." Tenzin said and took a lotus position, Ryuukhan and Korra following suit.

"Close your eyes." he commanded. "Breath slowly. Relax. Clear your mind. Let your spirit wander free."

Closing their eyes, Korra and Ryuukhan tried to follow Tenzin's instructions. They breathed slowly and evenly as they tried to clear their minds.

"Uh...are we doing it right?" Korra said a few moments later.

" _There's nothing to do."_ Tenzin said. _"Air is the element of freedom. Let your mind and spirit be free."_

"Ok but...what does that mean?" Korra asked, causing Tenzin to pause awkwardly.

"It means...it means…"Tenzin trailed, trying to find the right words to answer Korra.

Looking back, he tried to remember his father's lessons, seeking the right words for his disciples. His father talked about letting oneself be free, about releasing oneself from their earthly attachments, and about letting their spirit wander free.

Like any child, Tenzin had no idea what Aang was talking about. He was more interested in learning Airbending than in this strange philosophy stuff. It would not be for many years before he really grasped the meaning of Aang's words.

"It means that you release your worries and concerns for a temporary time." he said at last. "It means you should let your problems in life, such as your difficulty in training, fall into the background and explore aspects of the world and yourself that you usually don't think about. Aspects like your place in the world, your past lives, your plans for the future, and the balance of the world."

"Yeah, only understood like one word out of five there." Korra said. "I know my place in the world. I'm the Avatar, meaning my place is the keeper of balance. What's there to explore?"

"Are you so sure?" Tenzin asked. "Ryuukhan, what about you?"

At this, Ryuukhan only frowned and looked away. A dark look entered his features, and his eyes clouded over in suppressed fury, a spark of barely contained anger glowing deep down, seemingly turning them from green to gold. Soon after his hands seemed to clench together, his nostrils flared out, and his eyebrows furrowed intensely as he breathed deeply to calm himself.

Seeing this, Korra said "Maybe we should turn in for the night. What do you say Tenzin?"

"Perhaps you're right." he agreed, seeing the darkness of the night. "I'm sorry we didn't get as much done as you would have liked."

"Oh no thank you." Korra replied, standing. "We appreciate you taking the time for us Tenzin. Good night." she finished, bowing to Tenzin.

"Good night you two." Tenzin replied, returning the bow and leaving for the guest bedroom.

"You alright Ryuukhan?" Korra asked as they headed for the bedroom.

Taking a deep breath, Ryuukhan replied "Yeah. Or I will be."

"You know, Tenzin didn't mean to...you know…" she trailed off.

"Yeah. I know." he said. "It's just...not knowing the answers drives me crazy as a flutter bat. If I could just get the answers…"

"Well, maybe a change of location would help." she said, giving a small, mischievous smile. But before he could respond, she simply said "Sweet dreams little bro."

Ryuukhan, smiling back, simply replied "You too sis."

-Line Break-

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay guys. Life's been getting in the way and all. I've also been working on a side-project for this fanfic but it's still a ways-off from completion.

On the plus side, I'm going to introduce a familiar for Ryuukhan soon. I've put up a poll on my account so please feel free to leave your thoughts on the poll.


	5. Chapter 5: Neville's Memory Lane

This is an idea that I have been entertaining recently. I know that stories with a similar premise have been written so I will try to keep this as original as I can. No plagiarism intended. I do not own either Legend of Korra or Harry Potter. They belong to Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and J.K. Rowling.

-Line Break-

As he entered the empty compartment, the blonde-haired boy heaved his trunk onto the overhead racks, muscles straining and sweat trickling down his forehead. As he moved the trunk into position, he looked over the compartment before taking a seat.

Staring out the window, he felt the train begin to move, slowly but surely picking up speed. As the station gave way to open fields and rolling hills, Neville found himself deep in thought.

'This is it' he thought. 'I'm going to Hogwarts. I knew this day would come but still...I can't help but be nervous.'

'And to think that once, people thought I might have been a Squib. How silly. I mean I beat...Him as a baby, so how could I be a Squib?'

Rolling his eyes at the thought, he reached into his pocket and noticed a strange absence in his jacket. Fingering around in his jacket, he discovered that Trevor had escaped.

`Not again.' Neville moaned. 'Well, I'd better find him then.'

Leaving the compartment, Neville nearly bowled over a girl making her way down the train. As he stumbled back, he slammed into the wall of the compartment, making him wince in pain.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" he cried out frantically as he looked her over.

"I should hope so." she replied as she brushed herself off. She had bushy brown hair, with prominent front teeth, and was already wearing her Hogwarts robes.

"Perhaps in the future, you should take care to look both ways before proceeding down the hall. Nevertheless, it was an accident so I accept your apology. My name is Hermione Granger by the way. What's yours?" she said in a fairly bossy voice as she extended a hand.

"I'm...I'm...Neville." Neville replied as he shook her hand. "Neville Longbottom"

"Really?!" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Well, I've read all about you. You're in _Modern Magical History_ and _Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_. It's really a pleasure to meet you in person. I bet you know loads about magic. I'm the first one in my family to go to Hogwarts, but I've already tried some simple spells and they've all worked for me."

"Um...Nice to...meet you too." Neville stammered. "I'm so-sorry to ask you this but...I've lost Trevor. Would you mind helping me find him?"

"Oh, okay." Hermione replied. "Let me put my trunk in here first. Who's Trevor?"

"My t-toad" Neville answered, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"A toad?!" Hermione exclaimed as she lifted her trunk up. "Of all things, a toad?!"

"My un-uncle gave him to me when...when I performed magic for the first time." he explained as they pushed her trunk up onto the overhead racks. "It was in June when I was about six. He was hanging me upside-down from the second-floor window and he...he dropped me. I managed to bounce away like...like a rubber ball."

"He dropped you?!" Hermione exclaimed, nearly dropping the trunk. "That's totally barbaric! And all he did was give you a toad?!"

"I...I know, I know." Neville concurred, straining against the trunk. "But still, he's very special nonetheless...He was in my pocket when I boarded the train. He couldn't have gone far. I'll go this way, and you go that way."

"Okay." she said. "Let's meet back here in an hour or so and see where we go from there."

"Oh-okay" he replied as they started off in opposite directions.

-Line Break-

After nearly two hours of searching, Neville made his way back down the corridor, tears in his eyes, having failed to find Trevor.

'Why does he always run away?' he wondered as he neared the door, and saw Hermione.

"Any luck?" she asked, her arms crossed.

"No." he replied, shaking his head. "Nobody's seen him at all. And I can't find a trace of him. You?"

"Sorry" she shrugged. "Well, you better get changed. We'll be arriving soon. Good day."

"Okay then." he replied as he made his way to the door. "Thanks for your help."

"Don't mention it." she said

"Hi Neville." a girl with blonde hair in pigtails said. "You all right?"

"Yeah...um...just lost Trevor" Neville stammered as he made his way to his seat.

"Oh, sorry to hear that." she said, eyes downcast in sympathy. "I'm sure you'll find him soon. You want me to help you find him?"

"Thanks, Susan, but I think we should change now. We'll be at the station soon." he replied. "I'll wait outside while you change."

"Thanks Neville." she said as he shut the door.

-Line Break-

As Professor McGonagall led the first-years into the Great Hall, Neville felt his anxiety skyrocket.

'At least I have Trevor back' he thought as he stroked the toad in his pocket. 'Thankfully Hagrid spotted him. How'd he get in the boat before us?'

Looking around, he saw four long tables running the length of the hall, massive stone fireplaces roaring behind the far right table. Alongside the tables, set with gold plates and goblets, sat the already Sorted students, awaiting the ceremony, or maybe just the banquet, with eager anticipation. Glancing up, he saw thousands upon thousands of candles, dancing beneath the night sky.

" _It's bewitched to look like the sky outside"_ he heard Hermione say. _"I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."_

At the far end of the Hall sat a fifth table facing them, with Professor Dumbledore himself seated in a golden, almost throne-like chair, with the rest of the staff waiting to his left and right.

'I'd recognize that hair and beard anywhere.' Neville thought with a smile. 'Not to mention his...weird clothes.'

Just then, Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the Head table, with a ragged wizard's hat sitting atop it.

After a brief moment of silence, two furrows formed near the point, followed by a rip over the brim, and then the hat began to sing.

" _Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_ _  
_ _But don't judge on what you see,_ _  
_ _I'll eat myself if you can find_ _  
_ _A smarter hat than me._ __

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_ _  
_ _Your top hats_ _sleek and tall,_ _  
_ _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_ _  
_ _And I can cap them all._ __

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_ _  
_ _The Sorting Hat can't see,_ _  
_ _So try me on and I will tell you_ _  
_ _Where you ought to be._ __

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_ _  
_ _Where dwell the brave at heart,_ _  
_ _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_ _  
_ _Set Gryffindors apart;_ __

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_ _  
_ _Where they are just and loyal,_ _  
_ _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_ _  
_ _And unafraid of toil;_ __

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_ _  
_ _if you've a ready mind,_ _  
_ _Where those of wit and learning,_ _  
_ _Will always find their kind;_ __

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_ _  
_ _You'll make your real friends,_ _  
_ _Those cunning folks use any means_ _  
_ _To achieve their ends._ __

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_ _  
_ _And don't get in a flap!_ _  
_ _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_ _  
_ _For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Neville, along with all the other students, applauded the hat's performance as it bowed to each of the tables. Smiling, Professor McGonagall approached the hat while holding a long piece of parchment.

" _When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be Sorted"_ she said. _"Abbott, Hannah!"_

Neville gave her a weak smile as Hannah made her way to the stool. After a moment, the hat yelled out "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table to the far left applauded as Hannah made her way to join her fellow Badgers.

Next up was Susan, who soon joined Hannah at the Hufflepuff table. Then it was Terry Boot, who became the first Ravenclaw, followed by Mandy Brocklehurst. Lavender Brown, the first new Gryffindor, received the loudest applause, and even some cat-calls. After that, Neville lost track of the names as he waited for his to come up. Sweat began trickling down his forehead, and his heartbeat steadily increased. Then he heard a familiar name.

"Granger, Hermione!" Professor McGonagall called out.

Looking up, he saw the bushy-haired girl put on the hat and waited for the Hat's verdict.

'She's smart.' he thought. 'So maybe Ravenclaw. But she was also really kind, and helpful. So maybe Hufflepuff? Or was that more chivalry than kindness? Would that make her more Gryffindor then?'

The Hat seemed to take quite a while to decide on Hermione, nearly four minutes. Then the Hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione made her way to the table on the far right amid a barrage of applause but not before giving a small smile to Neville as she passed.

Neville felt himself smiling back, only to have a new wave of nerves engulf him as the Sorting continued. As Professor McGonagall went down the list, Neville looked around, stroking Trevor to try and distract himself from the frantic fluttering butterflies in his stomach.

'Now we're finally at the L's!' he thought. 'Why can't it be over already?!'

Then he heard it: "Longbottom, Neville!"

'This is it' Neville thought as he made his way to the stool amid the excited whispering all around him. As he put on the hat, the brim fell over his eyes but did little to shut out the whispers and chatter; in fact, they seemed to echo inside the Hat.

"Hmm" the Hat said. "Difficult. Very Difficult. You greatly admire courage. Superb work ethic too. And such determination-once you set your mind to something. But where to put you?"

'Please Hufflepuff.' Neville thought desperately. 'Please Hufflepuff.'

"Now, now," the Hat replied. "Don't sell yourself short, Longbottom. You'd fit quite well in Gryffindor you know."

'Gryffindor? Professor McGonagall's House?' Neville thought, memories of the Longbottom Manor coming up to the surface.

-Line Break-

After he had finished with breakfast, Neville went off by himself to one of the high-arched stained-glass windows overlooking the grounds and opened it. Beneath him lay the courtyard, a wide cobblestone walkway leading to the manor gates, with a marble statue of a wizard and a cauldron outside the front gates. To the east and west he could see the extensive greenhouses, a key source of the Longbottom fortune and one of his favorite places. Encircling the manor was the metal fence, reinforced with a granite and marble base, absolutely thrumming with ambient magic.

For as long as Neville could remember, he had spent his days inside this manor, which was secured by the strongest wards possible by Dumbledore himself. As further protection, he was also under guard nearly 24/7 by an Auror task force supervised by Madam Bones herself. And to top it all off, he received private tutoring by most of the Hogwarts' professors.

Intellectually, he knew why he had to spend his days inside this compound: Voldemort. Everyone knew that he, somehow, stopped the Dark Lord and brought an end to his bloody campaign of genocide.

And all it cost were Neville's parents. They were not dead. That would have been merciful of Voldemort. The monster had tortured them into insanity; now they lived at St. Mungo's Hospital under long-term care.

As such, he was placed in the care of his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, and sent to live at her manor. However, while Voldemort was gone, many of his followers were still around, seeking vengeance for their Master. Thus, the security and the private tutoring sessions.

While any magical child would be exhilarated at the prospect, he felt miserable. Never once was he allowed off the grounds save for the occasional visit to Susan Bones, Madam Bones' niece, and even that required a detailed guard and a strict itinerary. Despite those...issues, he always enjoyed the visits and even became firm friends with her.

As for the tutoring sessions they were a mixed bag.

While the topics were fascinating, none more so than Herbology, he had a few problems with some of the teachers.

-Line Break-

"Alright Neville, let's try again." Professor McGonagall said to a nervous Neville. "Remember the incantation is important. But not nearly as important as visualization, energy, and control. The first step is to form a mental picture of the end form: shape, color, texture. The more detailed you can make it, the better."

Neville merely nodded absent-mindedly, beads of sweat jingling off his forehead.

"Next, you must muster the energy to force it to change." she continued. "This is the reason Transfiguration is such a difficult branch of magic. Whereas Charms merely changes the properties to an object, changes that are often transitive, Transfiguration requires you to force the object into a new form. This requires you to have the willpower to see the change to the end, especially with higher level Transfiguration. Many wizards tried transfiguring animate into inanimate items without sufficient willpower. Needless to say the lucky ones never got started in the first place."

"Yes Professor McGonagall." Neville replied, shuddering at the thought of a half-rat half-pitcher Transfiguration.

"There are two steps to energy: willpower and magical energy." Professor McGonagall finished. "I've already touched upon willpower, so I'll move on to magical energy. Due to the inherent difficulty of Transfiguration, it requires a greater deal of magical energy than other branches of magic. But more importantly, it requires intense, constant control over that energy. If you don't give it enough energy, it will fail to start. If you start off with enough energy but lose control, either giving it too much or too little, at best the end result will merely be misshapen. At worst...well unless you'd like to skip lunch…"

"That's alright Professor." Neville said, breaking her train of thought. "I'll try again."

Focusing on the needle, he visualized it becoming a matchstick. First he thought of the color, picturing the shift from silver to yellow and red at the eye. Second, he thought of the shape, seeing the needle morph into an elongated cube, the point flattening and widening, with the eye filling with material and expanding into a sphere. Finally he visualized the texture, the smooth steel being replaced with the grain of wood.

With the process clear in his mind, he brought to mind the incantation: Myxa verto.

Focusing on the image, Neville pointed his wand at the needle and said "Myxa verto."

Breathing deeply, sweat beading on his forehead, Neville felt warmth welling up inside his chest and abdomen. 'That's the magic energy' he thought. 'Now to channel it through the wand.' Exhaling, Neville tried releasing the energy into the needle through the wand, focusing intently on the visualized process.

Then something went wrong, very wrong. The wand began shaking, hitting the needle and sending it flying off the table, and sparks flew from the tip. One of the sparks caught onto his clothes and they started to smoulder. Just as Neville was beginning to panic, a jet of water hit the fire, extinguishing it immediately.

"I'm sorry Professor." Neville said, wringing out his clothes. "I'll try again." and he went to retrieve the needle.

"No worries Neville." McGonagall said. "But not too much longer. You have Professor Sprout coming on soon. Accio needle."

As the needle replaced itself onto the table, Neville took out his wand and started the process again. After failing to get anything on his fourth try, Neville, seeing time was almost up, tried one last time and succeeded…

...from a certain point of view.

The needle had changed in color and shape, becoming yellow with a red bulb where the eye was and having sharper angles, but the bulb had an indentation and the texture was still metallic.

"Excellent Neville." McGonagall said, smiling slightly. "Now then, let's get ready for Pomona Sprout. I hear she has a new assignment for you."

-Line Break-

Professor McGonagall was a brilliant teacher, but very strict. Although she never said a word aloud, he could tell she was disappointed with his performance in her sessions. It always took him longer than expected to get any results, and the few successes he had achieved were often incomplete, like the needle to match lesson today. This stung even more in the face of the stories he had heard of his parents, and just how powerful and talented they were, especially, it seemed, compared to himself.

Professor Sinistra, while not as strict as Professor McGonagall, was not a very sociable person. She simply focused on the lesson and had no time for small talk or discussing the fine details of her topic. Of course, the fact that her lessons took place only at night and only on the weekends put serious limits on how much time they had for learning the material.

At his grandmother's behest, he also received some private lessons from Professor Vector and Professor Babbling. While they both had reputations for being strict, he found their lessons to be interesting and even a little fun but oftentimes he felt as though they were speaking foreign languages. He had managed to muddle through, but for the most part he was out of his element and they knew it. To his relief they simply said "Consider these a preliminary for your future studies. If you would prefer different classes, we understand."

Defense against the Dark Arts was an interesting topic to say the least, partly because it was the one topic not taught by a Hogwarts teacher. For some reason, no Defense against the Dark Arts Professor lasted more than a year, sparking rumors that the post was cursed. Thus Neville received tutoring from former members of the Order of the Phoenix, predominantly Remus Lupin, a werewolf, and Alastor Moody, a retired Auror, with the former specializing in Dark Creatures and the latter in combat.

Remus Lupin was, in many ways, a model teacher: patient, knowledgeable, sensitive, and helpful. Unfortunately, his schedule was a nightmare as he was never available during the Full Moon. Moreover, to Neville's surprise most of Lupin's time was consumed by a "long-term secret mission" as he told Neville after multiple inquiries. Though he often wondered what this "mission" entailed, he knew that it involved traveling around the world as Lupin often brought back interesting souvenirs.

As for Alastor Moody, he was, to put it mildly, a bit of a nutcase. While he undoubtedly knew his material, being a veteran of the last war, his insistence on constant vigilance crossed over into paranoia. He was constantly testing Neville for alertness, hitting him with a Stinging Hex for "motivation". To be fair, Neville did greatly improve his reaction time and learn a large number of spells to use in combat, but he seemed to have become an insomniac as he found himself jolting awake at the smallest noise and even wandering the manor late at night on occasion.

However, the worst of all was...Potions. While Neville found the topic itself interesting, at least when reading about it, he found practicing it was like navigating a minefield: one wrong move and you get exploded, splattered, sliced, or some other horrible fate. He had lost count of how many cauldrons he had melted on account of one little mistake.

To top it all off the Potions Master brought in to teach him was Professor Snape who seemed to hate ...no _loathe_ Neville.

At first, Neville thought it was simply because Professor Snape had to tutor him on weekends, thereby cutting into his personal free time. Later, he wondered if it was because Neville kept having accidents with his potions. In an effort to please Professor Snape, he read ahead the week before his next session and worked extra hard to make sure the potion was perfect.

Every direction was followed precisely right.

Every ingredient in just the right condition and prepared exactly the right way.

For two hours he toiled on the potion, constantly checking the fire and the timer, sweat and fear oozing from his brow.

And perfection he created.

No exploding cauldrons. No surprise accidents. No unexpected results. The color, the texture, the temperature, the smell. Everything. Was. Perfect.

And what was Professor Snape's reaction?

Upon seeing the potion, his face twitched for the tiniest fraction of a second, as though he was about to smile. Then his eyes rested upon Neville and his face turned a very slight but noticeable shade of red and his eyes turned cold, with a dull glow of abject loathing burning within them.

"Acceptable." he said, fury barely restrained leaking through his words, before waving his wand and pocketing a sample into a beaker. With a second wave, the potion vanished into oblivion, then he made his way out of the laboratory.

Neville remained sitting at the table, his head down, questions racing through his head.

'Was it flawed somehow?' he first thought. 'No. I followed every direction just as it was written. I prepared every ingredient just as it should have been. I even carefully selected them JUST for this day. I think...no, I KNOW he wanted to smile. So why...?'

Then a horrible idea crept into the poor boy's mind: maybe Snape hated him simply for just being alive.

With that, Neville dropped his head onto the table and started to cry.

-Line Break-

"Well Slytherin's right off" the Hat mused. "One down, three to go."

-Line Break-

That was one of his worst memories: the wasted effort; the vain hope; the horrible realization; and the complete breakdown.

Thankfully, the other two topics, Charms and Herbology, were far more enjoyable.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was, like Lupin, a model teacher. Neville learned a lot about Charms under his tutelage, and more often than not his spells worked well after the third try, or even the first at times.

However, his Charms sessions had one additional element: fun.

Professor Flitwick encouraged him to find creative, and especially humorous, applications for his magic, often giving examples beforehand. One memorable case was charming puppets to move as part of a play, in this case The Fountain of Fair Fortune, one of Neville's favorite stories. Another case was when he used the Levitation charm on Professor McGonagall's hat and hair so that they floated above her, making her look like her hair was alive. Professor Flitwick's sense of humor also extended to himself, as when Neville was practicing the Summoning charm, just as a practice run, he accidentally summoned the professor instead of the pillow he was aiming for.

The two ended up on the floor, with Flitwick sitting on Neville's stomach.

The professor said "Mr Longbottom, I believe hosts usually send owls before summoning their guests.", mimicking McGonagall's sternness.

Neville stammered at first, then, realizing Flitwick's sense of humor, replied with "Professor Flitwick, I believe guests are supposed to knock before meeting the host.", imitating the diminutive professor.

After a brief pause, Flitwick broke out into a fit of laughter. "Well played, Mr Longbottom. I look forward to teaching you." he said as he got off of Neville.

-Line Break-

"Yes," the Hat continued. "You'd enjoy Ravenclaw very much. But alas your mind is...not exactly the right type. You learn more by plowing through the material than by insight or creativity. Not that that's a bad thing, but just not what Rowena would have liked. Halfway there."

-Line Break-

Then there was Herbology, Neville's absolutely favorite subject.

He loved the fragrance of the plants; the color and texture of their leaves and bark; their uses in potions and spells; and, most of all, the sense of satisfaction in knowing he had succeeded in making these plants thrive despite their diverse and intense needs. In many ways, it was like Potions: one mistake and all your hard work is wasted, and you end up paying the price.

Most of all though, Herbology gave Neville ample time to be with his favorite Professor: Pomona Sprout.

Professor Sprout was, like many of her colleagues, an excellent teacher: patient, knowledgeable, sensitive, and helpful. She always made her sessions a great deal of fun, much like Professor Flitwick. But most of all, Professor Sprout was nurturing toward Neville.

-Line Break-

He sat there by the table in the potions laboratory, his head down on the table, tears streaking down his cheeks, disappointment and confusion burning in his heart.

"Neville are you alright?" a voice called out from behind, pulling Neville's attention and he felt his cheeks go red at the sight of Professor Sprout. "I'm...I'm fine…" he said as he tried to discreetly dry his eyes.

Then he squeaked out "I'm...I'm not late...am I?"

"I think we can wait on that Neville." Professor Sprout replied, crossing to the table. "For now, let's talk."

"About what?" Neville asked nervously as Professor Sprout took a seat next to him.

"Whatever you want Neville." Professor Sprout answered, taking an informal, inviting tone. "After all you'll be off to Hogwarts soon, and you already know some of the material so you have an advantage over the other students. So how does that make you feel?"

Neville, digesting her words, pondered over her words, and soon felt a wave of fear rush through his mind. Fear of meeting people that no doubt had heard his story; fear that he would not live up to everyone's expectations; and fear of their reactions to his performance.

Soon after, a second emotion mixed into that fear: doubt. Doubt of his destiny, his abilities, and the story that had grown up around him like a Strangler Fig.

After all, if he was the Boy-Who-Lived, why was he struggling?

If he could defeat the most powerful and evil Dark Wizard in all history, then surely these school subjects would be child's play to him, right?

Was this just a temporary phase?

Was this related to surviving the Killing Curse, a supposedly impossible feat?

Or was this symptomatic of a much more serious problem?

Did he really survive the Killing Curse as a toddler, a feat long believed to be impossible?

Was it possible that the story was mistaken?

Or worse….

Was his story in fact a lie? Merely a fairy tale?

"I'm, I'm afraid." Neville said after a rather long while. "I'm afraid that I'll be one big disappointment. I mean, I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, so surely this would be easy, right? If I could beat...him as a toddler, then I should be performing wandless magic by now. Instead, I'm struggling at everything and all the teachers think of me as one big disappointment. And if the teachers think that, what will stop the students from sharing those thoughts?"

As he rambled his fears, Neville began to tremble in anxiety, and his voice seemed to rise in pitch.

"And, and, and, even-even if I do everything right…" Neville stammered, having difficulty forming a sentence. "I mean just now, or so it seemed, I brewed a perfect potion. No hyperbole. It was absolutely perfect: no accidents, no deviations. The color, texture, consistency, even the fragrance were completely spot-on. And how did he react? He took one look at me and said 'acceptable'. How could he say that? If my very best only got that...then...then…"

Neville's trembling intensified, and his voice began to crack as moisture collected in his eyes.

Professor Sprout, seeing his distress, placed her hand on his shoulder and began to rub it, gently but firmly. Despite herself, she found herself humming a soothing tune, bringing Neville's anxiety, and shaking, down to manageable levels.

"Neville, I think you're being too hard on yourself. First off, Professor Snape is EXTREMELY difficult to please, even if you're a Slytherin. The fact that he said your potion was acceptable means that you met his extremely high standards, which means that you have true potential." she said, patting Neville on the back. "Second, I know the legend around you has grown a bit out of control, so people are bound to have high expectations of you. And you will make mistakes and people will jump on you."

At those thoughts, Neville began thinking of his family, specifically his grandmother, Augusta, and his great-uncle Algie. Augusta had been a good guardian, making sure he ate well, took his medicine, and always studied and practiced as hard as possible, but Neville could not help but feel a little intimidated by her. She was always telling Neville about how talented and powerful his parents were; how they sacrificed everything for him; and how he should live up to them. And whenever he failed or made a mistake, she always gave a disappointed look before directing him to try again.

Then there was Algie, the most determined, so to say, to expose Neville's magic, or lack thereof.

Whenever Algie visited, he had always "tested" Neville for magic potential. These tests included: dropping Neville off Blackport pier, where Neville had nearly drowned; taking Neville for a walk that "happened" to run into a large, ill-tempered dog, where Neville required magical healing; and lastly hanging Neville upside-down out a second-floor window and "accidentally" dropping him.

To everyone's relief, Neville simply bounced upon impact without injury, the first sign of magic he had ever exhibited.

"But there is a bright side to it." she continued, breaking Neville from his train of thought. "Once people meet you, they can see what you really are: a kind, hard-working wizard who always gives it his all. And if they don't like that, their loss."

Hearing those words, Neville began to think of Susan Bones, his best friend. At first, she believed full-heartedly all those stories that people told about him, shocking him into complete disbelief when he heard them for the first time ...and how it hurt them both for him to tell her the truth.

After the initial shock and confusion, however, Susan was able to see him for who he really was after she had accidentally walked in on one of his many practice sessions. The sweaty brow, the shortness of breath, the shaking of his wand hand, and the late night revealed his drive and work ethic, and, after bonding over their respected, missing parents, soon became best friends.

Feeling his fear dissipate with her kind words, Neville turned to Professor Sprout and, with unexpected speed, wrapped his arms around her, muttering "Thank you." again and again.

Professor Sprout, seeing his prior breakdown, simply smiled and returned the hug.

"Well Neville, I think we better get some rest." she said, yanking Neville back to his senses.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed, realizing the time. "I'm so sorry Professor! I took up all your time!"

"No worries Neville." she reassured. "I think you desperately needed this, and better here than at school, right?"

As Neville vigorously nodded in agreement, Professor Sprout simply stood up and said "I guess we'll have to reschedule for same time tomorrow. But…" she trailed off seeing Neville's eager face. "We won't be doing this in the future, especially at Hogwarts. Understand?"

As Neville nodded in response, Professor Sprout simply smiled and said, "Very well, good night."

-Line Break-

"You have an excellent affinity for Hufflepuff" the Hat nodded. "But why not Gryffindor? _You could be great you know? It's all here in your head._ "

'Please, please Hufflepuff' Neville begged.

"Well if you're sure, better be...HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat declared.

-Line Break-

 **Author's Notes:** Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay. Started school again and everything kept piling up, not least of which were some personal losses. Think of this as my Holiday present for those that have been waiting so patiently.

Now for a few quick things. Yes I know Neville was in Gryffindor in canon, but remember he was a nervous wreck WITHOUT the fame and pressure of being The Boy Who Lived heaped upon him. And unlike Harry, he had no Muggle relatives to take him in, so he couldn't be raised outside the Wizarding World without leaving him fatally vulnerable to Death Eaters. Thus, he knew about the story all his life, and just imagine what that would do to a person like Neville. Also, as I've shown, Neville's been tutored by the Hogwarts staff, including Professor Snape, who terrorized him so much in canon he became Neville's boggart. If he could do that much damage just from three years of being his teacher, imagine him being Neville's tutor.

So with all that which has already changed, why not the Sorting? This is already AU, so I'm going to explore the ramifications rather than just have Neville take Harry's place. Don't worry, Neville's NOT any less brave than canon, but like canon it's going to take a while to come out and when it does Death Eaters Beware.

Finally, I'm going to be closing the poll for Ryuukhan's familiar soon so cast your vote and stay tuned to see Hina in the next chapter.


End file.
